Carly Fiorina, sensing that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee in 2016 and prompt the GOP to search for a woman to put on the presidential ticket, is reportedly preparing to enter the presidential campaign, likely to angle for the vice-presidential slot.
Hot Air reported that Fiorina said in September, “Look, I think it would be great if we had female candidates—or candidate.” Fiorina does not have the resume to vie for the top slot, having lost her bid for the California Senate by double digits to Barbara Boxer in 2010, but her inside connections with the GOP could vault her to a viable vice presidential bid.
Fiorina is conscious that with Jeb Bush’s entrance into the presidential sweepstakes this week, an expedited entry would benefit her, as a host of powerful presidential candidates will likely announce their bids after the New Year, consigning her bid to the background. But Fiorina’s well-connected resume may serve her in good stead, as the National Journal reports. Some highlights:
- Former Hewlett-Packard CEO
- Chair of the ACU Foundation board, speaking at ACU’s 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference.
- Chairwoman of a Republican National Committee fundraising initiative in 2008
- Vice-chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2012.
- Giving keynote address to the Council for National Policy, a powerful conservative group
Despite the fact that Fiorina has never won a major race for public office, she has visited some of the early-nominating states in 2014. The Washington Times reported that she is scheduled to be part of a “Freedom Summit” in January being hosted by Citizens United and Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King.
Fiorina has apparently started to interview potential candidates for political director and communications director of a prospective campaign. One candidate who was asked to join Fiorina’s Unlocking Potential Project mentioned that someone connected with Fiorina mentioned a “certain presidential candidate who is gearing up for a run.”
One point against her is the still-unretired $500,000 debt she incurred from her 2010 campaign. According to the Washington Post, one former strategist for Fiorina, Martin Wilson, who is owed $80,000, said she “hasn’t really communicated with anybody in 18 months about how she intends to deal with the campaign debt. Hopefully, if she gets more serious about running for another office, she’ll revisit the issue and get some of those bills paid off.”