Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has made it official. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) are expected to make their 2016 intentions known next month. Now, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is pretty sure she’ll run for president in 2016 as well. Over the weekend, she said the chances of her tossing her hat into the ring are at least 90 percent (via WaPo):
Carly Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said her chances of running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 are “very high.”
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” the 2010 California gubernatorial candidate said she is “higher than 90 percent” likely to enter the race, with an announcement coming in late April or early May.
Fiorina said she could appeal to voters with a “deep understanding of how the economy actually works, having started as a secretary and become the chief executive of the largest technology company in the world.”
She added that she has relationships with “many of the world leaders on the stage today” and that she understands executive decision-making, as well as how to change large bureaucracies for the better.
Discussing the economy, Fiorina said the government has “tangled people up from a web of dependence from which they can’t escape.” She also said the government is “crushing small businesses now.”
Yet, Fiorina has never held an elected office. She ran against Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010, and lost by a ten-point margin. Nevertheless, we’re grading on a curve; this is deep blue California. It could’ve been worse. One could make an argument that a ten-point loss isn’t catastrophic in such a liberal state with such an entrenched incumbent; Boxer announced that she would not run in 2016 after serving nearly a quarter century in the Senate. Oh, and she did this while fighting breast cancer, which she beat in that same year.
Still, Fiorina has a great narrative with her rise in the business world.
"I have a deep understanding of how the economy works, having started as a secretary and become the executive of the largest technology company in the world," Fiorina said.
This statement doesn’t come without risks. Democrats will certainly highlight her reportedly controversial tenure at Hewlett-Packard, which began in 1999. It was turbulent due to the dot COM bust, with the board of directors eventually dismissing her Fiorina in 2005.
Nevertheless, Katie interviewed Fiorina at CPAC in February, where the former CEO exuded confidence in her 2016 prospects and took on Hillary Clinton. She said she plans to make an official announcement in April or May.
Here's her full CPAC speech, where she touts her record at HP in growing its net worth and innovation: