That Carly Fiorina isn’t being summarily dismissed is a testament to her surprising political strength and value in a presidential contest set to feature the first woman at the top of the ticket.
The wealthy former Hewlett Packard CEO declared for president on Monday. Traditionally, an announcement such as hers — from an underdog without an obvious constituency — might have been derided as a publicity stunt. But after months of shadow campaigning, Fiorina has won plaudits for delivering the articulate critique of President Obama that GOP primary voters are hungry for. Now, she offers the party a female bludgeon to wield against Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“The fact that she is the only woman and the only business person … will help her stand out,” said Stephen Duprey, a GOP operative and member of the Republican National Committee from New Hampshire who is not affiliated with a candidate.
Fiorina, 60, is making only her second bid for elective office, although she was political active in 2012 on behalf of Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
In 2010 she won a three-way Republican Senate primary in deep-blue California before losing to Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in a general election. Her tenure atop Hewlett Packard, a Silicon Valley technology company, was rocky, but her personal story is unique. She started her business career as a secretary, and is the only candidate with business experience at her level in the 2016 race.
Now living in Northern Virginia, Fiorina is running a lean campaign. Consultant Frank Sadler is her campaign manager; Sarah Flores is his deputy; Anna Epstein is press secretary; Lauren Carney is Fiorina’s New Hampshire state director; and Ron Steslow is digital director. Carly for America is the super PAC started by supporters to back her White House bid. On Monday, her first official campaign event was a digital town hall on Periscope, an application that uses smart phones and Twitter to broadcast live video.
In making her White House campaign official, Fiorina at once sought to promote and downplay the fact that she is the only Republican woman running for president in a deep and crowded field. Her announcement video opened with a clip of Clinton’s announcement video from April 12. But Fiorina said her only intent was to use Clinton as an example the kind of career Washington politicians voters are sick of.
“The point in highlighting her is she is the personification of the professional political class,” Fiorina told reporters during a conference call. “She reminds people that there is a huge disconnect.”
Democrats charged hypocrisy — an attack the other Republicans in the race might borrow if Fiorina makes any headway.
“Fiorina’s short time at Hewlett-Packard is all we need to know,” Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Holly Shulman said in a statement. “While she is attempting to run on her business record, it consists of mass layoffs, tumbling stock prices, and a failed merger. If this is how Fiorina ran her business, just imagine what she would do to the country.”
Fiorina is seeking to vault into the top tier of Republican presidential candidates by harnessing the populist discontent prevalent among voters of all political persuasions. During the conference call with reporters, Fiorina repeatedly said that voters are frustrated with a Washington that has lost touch with ordinary Americans, and said her aim was to reconnect a disconnected populace with their government.
Running as an outsider could work in a deep field of more experienced political figures that include several former and sitting governors, as well as former and sitting senators. It might also be among the few viable strategies available to Fiorina given her novice background. But what sets Fiorina apart, and makes her an asset that could increase in value even should her candidacy flame out, is her potential to function as the Republican Party’s Clinton slayer.
When running against a woman, a male candidate who attacks too aggressively runs the risk of a backlash. Even with Clinton’s lengthy resume of controversies, the perception of overreach and turning Clinton from villain to victim concerns GOP strategists. That worry is magnified when viewed in the context of how crucial female voters are to beating Clinton and the GOP’s poor performance with this demographic in 2012. Obama’s advantage with women in his 2012 race against Romney was 12 percentage points.
As the only Republican woman in the presidential arena this election cycle, Fiorina could be the answer to how the party overcomes this political challenge.
Gender aside, Fiorina has proven to be among the Republican Party’s most effective communicators on the stump. That has not only been the case on women’s issues like abortion, although Fiorina’s ability to talk eloquently and non-judgmentally about her opposition to abortion should not be undervalued. Fiorina has been equally affecting when discussing foreign policy, making her regular, detailed rebukes of Clinton’s record as Obama’s first secretary of state particularly potent.
This unique combination of attributes has positioned Fiorina to be a major player in the 2016 campaign long after the nominee and vice presidential running mate are selected — even if neither of them are her.
“She has been particularly effective at pushing back on, ridiculing, and undermining Democratic arguments related to the supposed “war on women,” Republican political consultant Liz Mair said. “There are a lot of people in the party that could benefit from emulating Carly, in many respects.”
Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an advisor to Scott Walker.
