Carly Fiorina Rumored to Be Ted Cruz's Running Mate
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UPDATE: The Associated Press confirmed that Ted Cruz selected Carly Fiorina as his running mate.
Rumor has it that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is set to announce former primary opponent Carly Fiorina as his running mate during a "major announcement" in Indiana on Wednesday. The former candidate was spotted in the state by multiple sources ahead of the announcement.
AP/Mark J. Terrill - apimages.com
"The announcement, which was teased early Wednesday morning and will be made official Wednesday afternoon, comes the day after Cruz suffered a drubbing at the hands of Donald Trump in five northeastern primaries," Politico reports.
Fiorina bowed out of the presidential race in February after a decisive loss in the New Hampshire primary. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO endorsed Cruz weeks later and repeatedly stated that he was the only feasible alternative to GOP front-runner Donald Trump, CNN reports.
Cruz's choice could reflect a desire to broaden his appeal among women voters. However, a 2015 Gallup poll found that Fiorina ranked among the lowest scoring Republican candidates in terms of female favorability, with just under 30 percent.
Gallup - gallup.com
Fiornia's notable lack of support among female voters could have something to do with the fact that her views on abortion and the gender pay gap are out of step with women nationally. A pro-life candidate who campaigned on a promise to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, Fiorinia's anti-abortion views contradict those of a majority of women (54 percent) who describe themselves as "pro-choice," according to Gallup.
She and Cruz have also suggested the the gender pay gap in America is the product of the Obama administration's "big government economy," which ignores systemic workplace policies and economic forces that have historically left women with fewer earnings than their male counterparts, The Washington Post repots.
Fiorinia could help Cruz in upcoming primary contests.
Fiorinia also has name recognition, especially in California, where an important primary battle will take place on June 7. She previously ran an unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat in the state in 2010.
"There are people in our party who are actually kind of horrified by Donald Trump," Fiorina said. "I'm one of them."
She added:
"We're going to have to beat Donald Trump at the ballot box. And the only guy who can beat Donald Trump is Ted Cruz."
It would be mathematically impossible for Cruz to secure the GOP nomination based on his current delegate count, but in the event that the nomination is decided at a contested convention, he could hypothetically win. Now it's looking like Cruz hopes to bolster his appeal by adding Fiorina to the ticket as a prospective vice president.
UPDATE (11:50 AM PST): This article has been updated to include information from The Associated Press, which confirmed rumors that Cruz will announce Fiorinia as his running mate on Wednesday.
