 | |
| Campaign | 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Carly Fiorina CEO of Hewlett-Packard (1999–2005) |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Announced: May 4, 2015 Suspended: February 10, 2016 |
| Headquarters | 1020 N Fairfax St., Ste. 200 Alexandria, Virginia |
| Key people | Frank Sadler (campaign manager)[1] Sarah Isgur Flores (deputy campaign manager) Anna Epstein (spokeswoman) Amy Noone Frederick (senior advisor) Rebecca Schieber (personal assistant/"aide de camp")[2][3] |
| Receipts | US$26,551,387 (2017-3-31[4]) |
| Slogan(s) | "New Possibilities. Real Leadership." |
| Website | |
| carlyforpresident.com (archived - February 9, 2016) | |
The2016 presidential campaign ofCarly Fiorina was announced in a video message posted on May 4, 2015. Fiorina was formerlychief executive officer of the technology companyHewlett-Packard, and was the Republican nominee forU.S. Senate in California in 2010.[5]
Fiorina suspended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on February 10, 2016.[6] On April 27, 2016,Ted Cruz announced that Fiorina would be his running mate should he win the nomination.[7] She joined his campaign days before the Indiana Primary, which he lost. Cruz suspended his campaign that evening, effectively ending Fiorina's vice-presidential bid.[8] After the election, however, Fiorina received one electoral vote for vice president from a faithless elector from Texas; the other 37, as pledged, voted forMike Pence.
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A candidate for the United States Senate in 2010, Fiorina ruled out running for the U.S. Senatein 2016,[9] but did not rule out running for Presidentin 2016.[10][11][12][13] In November 2014,The Washington Post reported that Fiorina was "actively exploring" a run for president. Her business background and status as the only CEO and the only woman in a "sea of suited men" were mentioned as positives, with Republican strategists pointing to her unsuccessful 2010 Senate campaign, unpaid campaign debt and dismissal from HP as "considerable challenges."[14] On March 29, 2015, Fiorina toldFox News Sunday hostChris Wallace there was a "higher than 90 percent" chance that she would enter the race to be theRepublican Party nominee in the 2016 presidential election.[15]
In the weeks leading up to her campaign announcement, Fiorina made numerous strategic appearances in the key battleground states ofIowa andNew Hampshire.[16] Fiorina announced her candidacy on May 4, 2015, via an online video posted by her campaign, followed by appearances onABC'sGood Morning America[5][17] andThe Kelly File.[18] On May 5, Fiorina made publicized appearances onToday[19] andLate Night with Seth Meyers.[20] After days of national media appearances described as a "media blitz,"[21] Fiorina returned to campaign in Iowa on May 7.[22][23]
Shortly after Fiorina announced her entry into the 2016 presidential race, and in a replay of her 2010 senatorial race, social media and editorial outlets referenced her tenure as HP's CEO and chair as a basis for her run for president. Commentators challenged Fiorina's claims of success, citing dozens of examples and anecdotes of why Fiorina had allegedly failed in her business leadership roles at bothHewlett-Packard andLucent. The discussion revolved around the 30,000 U.S. job cuts as well asoffshoring, which Fiorina directed during her tenure at HP, contrasting it with the high compensation bonuses she received from the company, and the events surrounding her resignation from HP.[24] Campaign managerSarah Isgur Flores deflected the criticism saying, Fiorina "worked hard to save as many jobs as possible",[25][26] and her defenders argued that Fiorina made difficult and unpopular decisions to turn around a struggling firm.[24]
Other discussions focused on her well-documented public record,[27] including coverage of risky vendor financing programs that Fiorina was said to have supported during her time as Lucent's president of consumer products.[28] The programs, which allegedly inflated the company's revenue figures to the benefit of Fiorina's bonus payout, were said to have contributed to the downfall of the company, formerly part of the iconicAT&T Bell Labs organization.[29]
On the afternoon of May 4, 2015, a website appeared under the domain name CarlyFiorina.org stating that Fiorina's organization had failed to register the domain and criticizing her tenure as CEO.[30] According toThe Hill, the site was created by an employee of theService Employees International Union, a labor union representing over 1.9 million US service industry employees.[31]
On May 10, Fiorina appeared onMeet the Press; responding to hostChuck Todd's question asking if Fiorina has "regrets about those layoffs [that occurred while she was CEO of HP]", Fiorina said that they doubled the size of the company, grew it from 2% to 9%, tripled the rate of innovation to 11 patents a day, and grew jobs in the U.S. and abroad. She added "I had to make tough calls during tough times. Tough times that many technology companies didn't survive at all.[32]Andrew Sorkin, fromThe New York Times, challenged Fiorina's assertions about her success as a businesswoman, writing that these percentages refer to revenue and not profit, and that the revenue growth was a result of acquisitions.[33]
In August 2015, and in what was reported as a rebuttal to Sorkin's article,Tom Perkins, who was one of the HP board members who voted to oust Fiorina, published a full-page ad in the form of a letter inThe New York Times,[34] paid for by a pro-Fiorinasuper PAC "CARLY for America", in which he commented on the firing from HP by saying: "Critics often claim Carly was fired at HP because she was unsuccessful. As a member of the board, I can tell you this is not true. In truth, it was the Board I was a part of that was ineffective and dysfunctional."[35][36][37]
In mid-September 2015, Fiorina addressed previous criticism from Yale business management scholarJeffrey Sonnenfeld who had said in 2008 that Fiorina used a "street bully" style of management, and that she had been a failure as HP's CEO.[38][39] He also described in August 2015 how Fiorina was saying she had doubled revenue at HP, but Sonnenfeld said this was an empty metric; the real gauge was that HP had lost 52% of its value during her tenure.[40]Donald Trump, a Republican contender against Fiorina in the 2016 presidential race, used Sonnenfeld's analysis against her during the second televised debate in 2015, and she countered by calling Sonnenfeld a "Clintonite".[41] Sonnenfeld wrote back inPolitico magazine that problems with Fiorina's leadership style were what caused HP to lose half its value during her tenure. He said she does not admit mistakes and thus does not learn from them, that she manipulates statistics, that she makes poor executive decisions, and that she turns toad hominem attacks when others oppose her plans. Sonnenfeld responded that four of the 2016 Republican presidential candidates had requested and received his advice, and that he had never been a "Clintonite".[42]
Meg Whitman, the current CEO ofHewlett Packard, who endorsedGovernor Chris Christie during the primaries, stated that in her opinion while Fiorina was a good CEO, she was not qualified to be President of the United States, stating that a business background is important but that having worked in government is also important, and that "it's very difficult for your first role in politics to be President of the United States".[43][44][45][46]
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Fiorina's presidential campaign had provoked both praise and criticism.The National Review pointed out her foil toHillary Clinton (also a female presidential candidate), saying "Carly Fiorina is no doubt getting attention because of her unique background, but more and more people are staying to listen because she has something fresh to say", and that "Fiorina also seems to relish the role of being the most pointed critic of Hillary Clinton…. She contrasts her background as a 'problem solver' with Clinton's record as a professional politician."[47]The Nation commented, "With so-called women's issues poised to play an unprecedented role in the upcoming election, Republicans need someone who can troll Hillary Clinton without seeming sexist."[48]
On July 6, the Fiorina campaign announced that it had raised $1.4 million in donations and the CARLY for Americasuper PAC reported raising $3.4 million.[49]
On July 16, Fiorina starred in aBuzzFeed video aboutsexism in the workplace.[50] Fiorina became the second presidential hopeful to shoot a video with Buzzfeed, afterTed Cruz.[51] The video generated praise for being bold and funny, as well as criticism that the video was divisive, pandering, and overtly liberal.[52][53]
On August 6, Fiorina participated inFox News's first GOP debate. Failing to qualify for one of the Fox Newsprime-time debate slots, she was relegated to the debate airing earlier the same day.[54] Fiorina's performance led news sources to conclude she had won the early debate.[55][56][57] Following the debate, pundits correctly predicted that her polling numbers would surge.[58][59] On August 9, Fiorina reported an uptick in fundraising support.[60] In anonline poll by NBC andSurveyMonkey on August 10, Fiorina came in fourth ofthe seventeen Republican contenders with 8% of Republican primary voters saying they would support her in a primary or a caucus. This reflects a gain in support of six points from previous polling data.[61]
An article on theWall Street Journal in the aftermath of the debate, noted Fiorina's surge and described the challenge she will face in translating the post-debate bounce into a viable campaign for the nomination, citing theUS$1.7 million she raised during her first two months of her campaign (US$3.4 from her super PAC), which is far less than other candidates, and her difficult tenure at HP.[62]
On every national poll that was released after the first debate held on August 6, 2015, all showed Fiorina to be firmly within the top ten of Republican candidates.[63] However, because CNN chose to include all national polls after July 10, 2015 (multiple weeks before the debate), and before September 10;[64] before the September 16 debate, Fiorina consistently polled under 2%; and because a significantly larger number of polls was released before the debate Fiorina was projected to not make the later of the debates, which follow the same top ten formula as the first FOX debate to decide which candidate goes into which debate. Fiorina publicly requested that Republican National Committee, or RNC, force CNN to change their standards, and her Deputy Campaign Manager, Sarah Isgur Flores, wrote an article on the website Medium expressing annoyance with CNN's standards.[65] On September 3, 2015, CNN decided to amend the criteria stating any candidate who ranks in the top 10 in polling between August 7 and September 10 would be included.[66]
Fiorina's appearance on September 16, 2015, in the second debate at theReagan Presidential Library was generally seen by the press as improving her standing in the Republican field.The New York Times described her performance as: "steely, self-assured and at times deeply personal", and as one which may "help correct a problem that her party has struggled with in recent elections: how to appeal more effectively to women".[67]The Washington Post commented on how what they described as her "polished showing" and "widely praised performance" in the second televised Republican debate, "lit up social media and cable news".[68]Time magazine called her performance a "strong showing" in which "Fiorina laid out detailed foreign policy visions, made an impassioned speech against Planned Parenthood and sparred with Donald Trump...."[69] For her own part, Fiorina commenting to ABC'sGood Morning America about her performance, said: "When I went into the debate, almost half the audience didn't know my name, and I introduced myself successfully."[69]
In the debate, Fiorina misrepresented aPlanned Parenthood sting video, describing a scene of an aborted fetus moving its limbs, which was not in the video. She was sharply criticized for this in the media;[70] the gaffe consumed much of the post-debate coverage.[71]Planned Parenthood responded that she had lied about the video, saying it was "not the first time Carly Fiorina has lied."[72]PolitiFact chief editorAngie Drobnic Holan mentioned this factor in a December 2015 comparison of the presidential candidates with regard to their truthfulness. In the comparison, Fiorina scored 50% falsehood, the sixth worst performance.[71]
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Her performances in early debates for the Republican primary nomination, particularly her rebukes of front-runnerDonald Trump in the debate on September 16, 2015, earned her a significant spike in the polls from 3% to 15% post-debate,[73][74][75] but her polling numbers dropped to 4% by October,[76] and to 3% in December.[77][78]
As a result of low polling numbers, Fiorina was left out of the ABC News debate on February 6, 2016, despite mounting a protest that included her, two fellow GOP presidential candidates (Sen. Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson), and other high-profile GOP leaders such as Mitt Romney andNewt Gingrich to be included in the debate.[79][80]
On February 10, 2016, Fiorina suspended her presidential campaign due to weak results in Iowa and New Hampshire.[6] She received two percent of the votes in the Iowa caucuses and four percent of the votes in the New Hampshire primary.[81] On March 9, she formally endorsedTed Cruz for president.[82]
Fiorina describes herself aspro-life.[83] She has expressed support for legislation to banabortions 20 weeks after fertilization, with an exception for cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.[84] Fiorina supports overturningRoe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling by the Supreme Court which legalizedabortion in the United States, and leaving it for the states to decide.[84] Fiorina opposed criminalizing abortion and said she would not apply a litmus test when considering judges.[85]
TheNational Right to Life Committee, theSusan B. Anthony List and the California ProLife Council all endorsed Fiorina's 2010 U.S. Senate campaign in California.[86]
Fiorina supports eliminating federal funding forPlanned Parenthood, the largest single provider of abortions in the United States, performing over 300,000 per year.[83][87] The use of federal funds for abortions is mostlybanned under current law.[87]
During theSeptember 16, 2015, GOP presidential candidates' debate onCNN, Fiorina criticized Planned Parenthood for their involvement in abortions. She referred to thesecret recordings made byThe Center for Medical Progress (CMP), and stated:
According toThe Wall Street Journal, "there was never any video that depicted, as Ms. Fiorina stated, a live fetus on a table being prepared for organ harvesting."[90]PolitiFact.com noted that a completely different video produced by an anti-abortion group contains stock footage of a fetus added for dramatic effect.[91] Fiorina's claim made it sound as if there is actual footage of Planned Parenthood examining an aborted fetus whose heart is still beating, which was false.[91] PolitiFact said "Fiorina makes it sound as if the footage shows what Planned Parenthood is alleged to have done. In fact, the stock footage was added to the video to dramatize its content. We rate her statement Mostly False."[91] As PolitiFact.com pointed out, Fiorina is likely talking about a video showing an interview with a woman talking about a scene similar to the one Fiorina describes; the video's creators have supplemented her interview with grisly stock footage of a fetus outside the womb."[91]
In a February 2015 speech, Fiorina acknowledged thescientific consensus that climate change is real and caused by human activity,[84] but remained doubtful that government can affect the issue[84][92] and has "implied that targeting the coal industry will not solve the problem".[84]
On April 4, 2015, Fiorina spoke out about climate changein her home state of California as well as how the state has fared in thedrought, stating that "liberal environmentalists" have brought what she described as a "tragedy" and that California is an example of "liberals being willing to sacrifice other people's lives and livelihoods at the altar of their ideology".[93]
Fiorina said in May 2015 that "drug addiction shouldn't be criminalized" and cited "decriminalizing drug addiction and drug use" as an example of a successful reform.[94]
Fiorina opposeslegalization of marijuana, but says that she believes in states' rights and that as president she will not enforce thefederal ban on marijuana in Colorado, where voters have legalized marijuana as a matter of state law.[95]
Fiorina opposed the2009 federal stimulus act, calling it a waste of taxpayer money.[92]
Fiorina has said she would cut the pay of federal workers and base their compensation on performance.[92]
Fiorina is a critic of theCommon Core State Standards, calling them a "heavy-handed and standardized" example of "Washington bureaucracy".[96][97] According to PBS, "In a position paper while running for the U.S. Senate in California, Fiorina strongly advocated for metric-based accountability in schools. She praisedNo Child Left Behind as setting high standards andRace to the Top for using internationally-benchmarked measures."[84] Fiorina has also argued for a reduced federal role in education, saying, "The bigger oureducation department becomes, the worse our public education becomes. There's no connection between spending more money in our nation's capital and a better school system.[98] "
In 2010, Fiorina indicated that she would support "avoucher program for the areas, or neighborhoods, or student populations most in need".[99] In 2015, Fiorina wrote that she supported aschool choice or voucher program for all students.[97] In February 2015, Fiorina stated, "Parents should be given choice, competition, and accountability in the classroom."[98]
Fiorina stated at the 2015Conservative Political Action Conference that President Obama's proposal for freecommunity college was intended "to distract us from the fact that we have too many failing high schools".[99]
At a May 2015 event, Fiorina asserted that the federal government "in the last several years under the Obama administration has nationalized thestudent loan industry".[100] TheAnnenberg Public Policy Center'sFactCheck.org stated that "Fiorina gave a misleading description" since "private and federal student loans are available now, just as they were in the past."[100]
Fiorina supports the use of human embryos instem cell research provided that the embryos were not created for that purpose.[101] In a 2010 debate, she said, "I've also been very clear in saying if embryos were going to be destroyed in any event, that I have no trouble with research."[102]
Fiorina has criticized theIran nuclear agreement, based on a number of issues that she called "suspicious". She has said that Iran is not a good actor and did not negotiate in good faith, and that if the U.S. wanted to achieve a good deal then the negotiators on the U.S.'s behalf should have walked away from the bargaining table but never did.[103] Fiorina also stated that the U.S. cannot trust the verification components of the deal because Iran does not allow access to military sites and Iran has broken sanctions and inspection agreements in the past,[103] and that the approval of the international community is suspect becauseRussia andChina were negotiating on Iran's behalf looking out for their own self-interests (specifically gaining access to Iran's economy) and theEuropean Union negotiates weak deals.[103][104][105]
Speaking onRussia–U.S. relations and theRusso-Ukrainian War during her 2015 campaign, Fiorina said that if president, "I wouldn't talk to him (Russian presidentVladimir Putin) at all."[106] Fiorina has said that if president, she would "stand up and arm Ukraine" and conduct more aggressivemilitary exercises in theBaltic nations to "send a very clear message to Vladimir Putin."[107] Fiorina also supported themissile defense program in Poland and increasing the U.S. troop presence in Germany.[107][108]
In a January 2015 discussion with an Iowa political blogger, Fiorina said of the Chinese: "They're not terribly imaginative. They're not entrepreneurial. They don't innovate. That's why they're stealing our intellectual property."[109]
Fiorina has criticized theinternational nuclear agreement with Iran, saying that Iran is "at the heart" of evil in the Middle East;[110] that the agreement is a "flawed deal";[105] and that "there is a lot of reason to be suspicious" of it.[103] Fiorina said that: "It would be different if Iran was a good actor and had negotiated in good faith all this time but they haven't" and said "If you want a good deal, you've got to walk away sometimes. We never did."[103] Fiorina also suggested that verification provisions in the agreement were insufficient and that approval of the agreement by theinternational community andthe U.S.'s negotiating partners was suspect becauseRussia andChina have an interest in gaining access to Iran's economy and theEuropean Union "has negotiated, frankly, a number of weak deals."[103]
Fiorina expressed for a military building, calling specifically for an additional "50 Army brigades, 36 Marine battalions, between 300 and 350 naval ships, and an upgrade of 'every leg of thenuclear triad.'"[111] This proposed military buildup would be an increase of more thanUS$500 billion (excluding a nuclear arsenal overhaul, which would cost some additional sum of money) over existing planned defense spending ofUS$5 trillion over the next decade.[111]
Fiorina opposed thenormalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, tellingHugh Hewitt that if elected she would close theU.S. embassy in Havana.[112]
At a forum atThe Citadel in September 2015, Fiorina said that if president she would cancel a scheduledstate dinner during a visit by Chinese PresidentXi Jinping and instead would confront the leader onChinese hacking: "I'd have a long conversation in theOval Office to say, 'Understand, there will be consequences. We will retaliate. We consider this an act of aggression.'"[113] Fiorina did not give specifics on what type of retaliatory measures she would favor if elected president.[113]
Fiorina supports keeping theGuantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba open.[113]
In September 2015, Fiorina "offered a vigorous defense of CIAwaterboarding," a tactic used by the United States during theGeorge W. Bush-eraWar on Terror.[114] Fiorina rejected the conclusions of theSenate Intelligence Committee Study of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program (publicly released in 2014), which "portrayed waterboarding as 'near drownings' that weretantamount to torture and concluded that the agency's oftenbrutal interrogations produced little actionable intelligence."[114] Fiorina called the report "disingenuous" and "a shame" and said that "I believe that all of the evidence is very clear — that waterboarding was used in a very small handful of cases [and] was supervised by medical personnel in every one of those cases. And I also believe that waterboarding was used when there was no other way to get information that was necessary."[114]
Fiorina has stated that theAffordable Care Act is a vast legislative overreach that did not fix the problem it started out to fix and created problems for everyone else.[115] Among her criticisms of the Affordable Care Act is that the number of uninsured is not coming down fast enough, deductibles have gone up, and the amount of paperwork has increased.[115] She supports repeal.[115] Fiorina has proposed establishing federally subsidized but state-run "high-risk pools to help those who are truly needy."[116] She has also supported an individual mandate requiring that individuals purchase "catastrophic care" insurance.[117]
Referring to childhoodvaccinations, Fiorina said: "When in doubt, it is always theparents' choice."[118] Fiorina defended the right ofschool districts to require that children be vaccinated against common communicable diseases, but said that districts should not be permitted to require that children receive "some of these more esoteric immunizations" in order to attend public schools.[118]
In California, Fiorina supported theDREAM Act, which would allowchildren brought to the U.S. by their parents when they were under the age of 16 to secure permanent U.S. residency and a path to citizenship if they graduate from college or serve in the armed forces.[84][92][119]
In a May 2015 interview withKatie Couric, Fiorina said that she does not support a path for citizenship "for those who came here illegally and who have stayed here illegally."[119] Fiorina drew a distinction between people in that category and those who came legally butoverstayed their visas.[119]
Fiorina has stressed the need to improve border security before undertaking comprehensive immigration reform.[92][119]
In November 2009, in an interview byThe Wall Street Journal, Fiorina said that she voted in favor ofProposition 8, aCalifornia ballot proposition which banned same-sex marriage in that state, but noted that "she created a strong program ofdomestic partner benefits while at HP".[120]
During the2010 United States Senate election in California, Fiorina was endorsed byGOProud, agay conservative organization.[121]
In 2010, while answering aChristian Coalition questionnaire, Fiorina said that she supported afederal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.[122] During an interview with the conservative Christian websiteCaffeinated Thoughts at aDallas County, Iowa Republican event in May 2015, Fiorina reversed her previous position, saying that she now opposed such a measure: "I think the Supreme Court ruling will become the law of the land, and however much I may agree or disagree with it, I wouldn't support an amendment to reverse it."[122][123] She further stated that "government shouldn't discriminate on how it provides benefits and ... people have a right to their religious views and those views need to be protected."[123]
In August 2010, Fiorina indicated on aChristian Coalition questionnaire that she opposed enforcing the1993 law banning homosexuals in the military.[124][125]
In 2010, Fiorina stated that she supported theDefense of Marriage Act, but also supportedcivil unions.[126] In 2015, Fiorina reaffirmed her support for civil unions and stated that those in such unions should receive the samegovernment benefits accorded to married persons.[127]
On September 19, 2010, in a Faith2Action survey, she opposed theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act.[124]
On March 17, 2013, onABC News, Fiorina said "I think we have to be careful, becauseJohn Boehner's views, which are different fromRob Portman's views, are equally sincere. And I think when we get into trouble on this debate when we assume that people who support gay marriage are open and compassionate and people who don't are not. It's why I believe the right way to solve these very personal issues is to let people vote on them, don't have judges decide it, don't even have representative government decide it, let people vote on it in the states. I think people of both points of view, accept the democratic process. What they don't always accept is a bunch of self-important, self-appointed judges saying this is culturally the new norm."[128]
In April 2015, Fiorina defended theIndiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and government benefits to same-sex couples. She stated that the Indiana bill is about the "opportunity to practice their religions freely" and "It has not and has never been a license to discriminate."[129] On April 2, 2015, in an interview withUSA Today, she described it as "shameful" how, in her view, liberals have fanned the furor over the Indiana law. "I honestly believe this is a set of liberal political activists who practice a game of identity politics and divisive politics to whip people into a frenzy, and I think it's very destructive to the fabric of this country," she said. She blasted business leaders in Silicon Valley and elsewhere who have criticized the Indiana law as discriminatory, questioning why there isn't similar outrage "in the Twitterverse about the subjugation of the rights of women and gays in many countries in which these companies do business. Where is the outrage about that? Where is the outrage about how gays are treated in Iran, for example? Where is the outrage about how women are treated in Algeria?"[130]
During an April 2015 interview withABC News, Fiorina stated, "I think it's really too bad, honestly, that CEOs are being pressured [...] What this law basically says is that a person can push back against ... either federal government mandate or state government mandate to exert their religious liberties.[131] She also reaffirmed her support for civil unions.[132]
In June 2015, as a response to theU.S. Supreme Court's decision inObergefell v. Hodges, which held that there is a fundamental right tosame-sex marriage under theFourteenth Amendment, Fiorina said the decision was "only the latest example of an activist Court. I do not agree that the Court can or should redefine marriage. I believe that responsibility should have remained with states and voters where this conversation has continued in churches, town halls and living rooms around the country."[133] In May 2015, however, she said that she hoped that the nation could support the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage and, at the same time, respect individual consciences.[134] In 2017, Fiorina headlined the 40th anniversary gathering of Log Cabin Republicans, an LGBT Republican organization which supports same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights.[135]
Fiorina opposes federal legislation to require companies to provide paidmaternity leave to their employees.[136][137] Fiorina has said that the private sector should make these decisions, pointing out that HP, while she was CEO, offered paid maternity leave voluntarily, and that companies such asNetflix have done the same.[136]
Fiorina opposes afederal minimum wage increase, adding that she believes it "is a classic example of a policy that is best carried out in the states",[138] saying a national minimum wage does not make sense because economic conditions in New Hampshire vary significantly from more expensive economic conditions in Los Angeles or New York. She also believes that raising the federal minimum wage would "hurt those who are looking for entry-level jobs."[92]
Fiorina opposesnet neutrality rules adopted by theFederal Communications Commission and has said she would "roll back" that policy, because "Regulation over innovation is a really bad role for government."[84][139][140]
Fiorina "generally believes that reducing government regulations helps to spur the economy."[92]
Fiorina has condemned theDodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, saying in April 2015 that "We should get rid of Dodd-Frank and start again."[141]
Fiorina has stated that not "a single regulation has ever been repealed."[142]Glenn Kessler ofThe Washington Post "Fact Checker" column gave this statement three out of fourPinocchios, finding that "Important parts of the economy have been deregulated in recent decades. While the repeal of a specific rule is relatively rare, there are certainly examples."[142]Susan E. Dudley, director of the Regulatory Studies Center atGeorge Washington University, said that Fiorina is "generally right that regulations, once issued, are rarely revisited and even more rarely actually repealed".[142]
During her 2010 Senate campaign, Fiorina "called for eliminating theestate tax andcapital gains taxes for investments in small businesses, and lowering marginaltax rates."[92]
Fiorina opposes proposals to increase thefederal gas tax or state gas taxes in order to fund theHighway Trust Fund, asserting in a February 2015 op-ed inThe Wall Street Journal that "Any gas tax hike, big or small, will harm American families and hurt economic growth."[143]
Fiorina favors expanding theH-1B visa program.[144][145][146][147] Writing in opposition to proposals she consideredprotectionist in a 2004 op-ed inThe Wall Street Journal, Fiorina said that while "America is the most innovative country," it would not remain so if the country were to "run away from the reality of the global economy."[148] Fiorina said to Congress in 2004: "There is no job that is America's God-given right anymore. We have to compete for jobs as a nation."[145] While Fiorina argued that the only way to "protect U.S. high-tech jobs over the long haul was to become more competitive [in the United States]," her comments prompted "strong reactions" from some technology workers, who argued that lower wages outside the United States encouraged theoffshoring of American jobs.[149]
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On April 27, 2016, Sen.Ted Cruz announced that Fiorina would be his running mate should he win the nomination.[7] She joined his campaign in theIndiana primary, which he lost. Cruz then suspended his campaign that evening. Fiorina's vice presidential campaign lasted precisely one week.[8]
In December of that year, a "faithless elector" from Texas gave her oneelectoral vote for vice president.
Here's the problem: Those numbers she is referencing aren't Hewlett-Packard's profit. They are the company's revenue. And if you make enough acquisitions — especially one the size of Compaq — you can inflate your revenue figures. You can also buy growth.
Mr. Perkins' public letter expressed regret for his role in the firing. "In order to restore peace to the board I voted to fire her," he wrote. "That was a mistake."
Not only did she save the company from the dire straits it was in, she laid the foundation for HP's future growth," reads the ad, which is signed by Tom Perkins, a member of the HP board during much of Fiorina's tenure and the founder of California venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers. "I have no question that Carly is a transformational leader who uniquely has both vision and the expertise to implement it.
"Not only did she save the company from the dire straits it was in, she laid the foundation for HP's future growth," Mr. Perkins wrote, pointing to an increase in revenues and patents during her time there.
The numbers were bad news for Mrs. Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, who stood up to Mr. Trump during the last Republican debate and won accolades for her crisp, forceful performance. However, her bounce in the polls appears to have been ephemeral, and her support has dropped to just 4 percent, from 15 percent in September, the poll showed.
I'm not saying I oppose paid maternity leave. What I'm saying is I oppose the federal government mandating paid maternity leave to every company out there. I don't think it's the role of government to dictate to the private sector how to manage their businesses, especially when it's pretty clear that the private sector, like Netflix ... is doing the right thing because they know it helps them attract the right talent.
I think a minimum wage is a classic example of a policy that is best carried out in the states, because if you are here in Nashua, New Hampshire, it is not the same set of economic conditions or expensive living as L.A. or New York City. To me, a national minimum wage does not make a lot of sense.
