The three major news networks suggested Thursday that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, naming former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as his running mater is an act of desperation, and they characterized the move as a “Hail Mary” that is likely doomed to failure.
“Ted Cruz is trying to stop Trump by choosing a running mate, Carly Fiorina. And as you just heard, critics call it a desperate ploy that is bound to fail,” said CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell.
Fellow CBS colleague Chip Reid said later of Cruz’s choice that, “It’s a Hail Mary pass for a candidate with no clear path to the Republican nomination.”
The senator teased Wednesday morning that he had chosen Fiorina, a former 2016 Republican candidate, as his vice presidential nominee.
Later that afternoon, he made it official, saying at a campaign rally in Indianapolis that she is a “woman of extraordinary intelligence” and “a woman of deep principle.”
“Carly respects the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and she understands the threats facing America,” he said in a rambling, nearly 30-minute-long introductory address. “She understands this is a dangerous world and in naming her as my vice presidential nominee, I am also telling you that she is someone you can be confident in.”
Though the announcement appears to have jazzed some of Cruz’s supporters, reporters at ABC, NBC and CBS News characterized the VP nod as a gimmick that would likely do little to move the Texas Republican closer to becoming the GOP’s presidential nominee.
CBS’ Reid recalled when former President Ronald Reagan chose a VP pick ahead of the 1976 GOP convention, saying, “The move backfired, and [Gerald] Ford won the nomination.”
Over at NBC, reporters echoed the idea that Cruz’s choice would do little to help him in the 2016 GOP primary.
“Fresh off a round of overwhelming defeats, now mathematically eliminated from winning the Republican nomination outright, Cruz’s Hail Mary pass is a desperate attempt to resurrect his candidacy,” said Peter Alexander.
He continued, and referred to this development in the senator’s camp as the “Ted Cruz/Carly Fiorina arranged marriage.”
It was the same at ABC, where a story on the announcement included a headline titled, “Hail Mary Pass.”
“Ted Cruz in an attempt to save his campaign drafting Carly Fiorina as his running mate,” said Robin Roberts.
ABC colleague Jon Karl added later, “”Well, Donald Trump has already declared himself the presumptive Republican nominee. But Ted Cruz is hoping his Hail Mary VP move can shake up the race. It’s a long-shot move by Ted Cruz to try to save his campaign.”
Trump responded immediately to news of Cruz’s pick Wednesday by uploading a video to his Twitter feed of Fiorina saying that the Texas senator is the kind of person who “says whatever he needs to say to get elected.” The Trump tweet carried a simple note: “Agreed!”
Later, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked political analyst Matthew Dowd about Cruz choosing Fiorina.
“I take it you think about this Cruz/Fiorina thing the same way that Trump does?” the ABC anchor asked.
Dowd responded, saying, “I — yeah, I think it’s going to have zero effect. When you’re at the end of a season and you’re way behind and on a bad six-game losing streak, adding up a relief pitcher who flushed out of the majors earlier by getting shelled isn’t going to help you instill faith in your fans.”
(h/t Media Research Center)
