Fiorina Announces Senate Run
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina officially announced her candidacy for U.S. Senator from California today in an op-ed in the Orange County Register.
Fiorina will challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer if she is able to knock off State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore in the June Republican Primary. The outcome of the primary will reveal much about whether the Republican Party is prepared to endorse a more pragmatic campaign strategy. DeVore will likely get his support from the “base” while Fiorina will be supported by the party establishment.
Fiorina served as one of Senator McCain’s primary economic advisors during his campaign and brings with her the name recognition that she acquired as one of Silicon Valley’s most important power players. She also took on the healthcare reform debate in Washington writing that “we should build on what works” instead of “remaking the entire healthcare system. Fiorina’s main weakness though will be her lack of past political involvement.
Last month the San Jose Mercury News reported that Fiorina has voted in only six of 14 elections since 2000. She also did not vote in the presidential primaries in 2000 or 2004…or in the state’s 2003 gubernatorial recall election. She acknowledges these shortcomings in her op-ed stating that she “really didn’t think her vote mattered” but that she now realizes that line of thinking was “wrong”.. and she now understands that “the decisions made by the Senate impact every family and every business, of any size, in America.”
Despite her shortcomings, Fiorina’s experience in Silicon Valley will make her a credible voice on the economy and on matters of job creation. Her connections within the Silicon Valley community will also facilitate her fundraising efforts and her stature as an executive will draw national attention to the race that her primary opponent will simply not be able to drawl. If she gets through the primary, she could well make a race of it.