Vice presidential speculation heated up this week after Cruz confirmed his campaign was vetting Fiorina as a running mate.
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After Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz announced that former GOP rival Carly Fiorina will be his running mate, California Sen.
“So, here’s one more thing that’s not like other election cycles”, Fiorina said.
“Ted Cruz is realizing that his campaign is nearing an end and he’s picking people out of desperation”, Davis said.
He acknowledged his decision to name a running mate now was an unorthodox and unprecedented move, but that “all of us can acknowledge that this race, if anything, is unusual”.
The Cruz campaign began teasing it with announcements about a coming announcement.
“I tell you what, it’s exciting because we haven’t had a Republican presidential candidate here since George W. (Bush)”, said Roy Saenz, Chairman of the St. Joseph County Republican Party. She endorsed Cruz in early March and has been a frequent, energetic surrogate for the Texas senator.
“Carly Fiorina started singing at a rally where she’s named VP by a candidate who ain’t getting the nod”, tweeted writer and Ebony columnist Michael Arceneaux (@youngsinick).
Analysts said Cruz was simply trying to regain momentum by announcing his pick for a vice president so early in the race, especially after Trump triumphed on Tuesday with a sweep of five East Coast states.
Usually, US presidential candidates announce their prospective vice presidents only after clinching the party nomination. “I guess that’s cute”, Trump deadpanned.
Having several presidential candidates in Indiana Wednesday – including Cruz, Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders – was exciting, Karen Crosby said. The surprise pre-emptive announcement of Fiorina as his running mate is created to try to move more support in the Hoosier State his way.
Cruz has campaigned heavily in IN the past week.
Cruz can now only win the nomination in a convention fight.
Cruz hoped that adding Fiorina to his potential ticket would be a draw for Republicans desperate to keep Clinton out of the White House. Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, ahead of the 1976 convention.
For Cruz, the selection was a chance to make a break from a tough night in which Trump emerged victorious in all five Northeast states voting in the so-called Acela primary. President Gerald Ford ended up winning the nomination on the first ballot that year.
The biggest delegate cache to come is the June 7 primary in California, where Fiorina was the Republican nominee for Senate in 2010. Fiorina ran for office there six years ago, and she lost badly.
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Among all Americans, 45 percent didn’t know enough about Fiorina to rate her, while 22 percent rated her favorably and 32 percent unfavorably. During her time on the campaign trail, Fiorina repeatedly attacked former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, even saying during the January 24 debate in North Charleston, S.C. that “unlike another woman in this race, I actually love spending time with my husband”.
