Carly Fiorina, the only woman among 18 Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for the White House, achieved the first goal for low-ranking candidates in televised debates on Thursday: getting noticed.
The former chief executive of Hewlett Packard, who is unknown to most Republican voters, let alone the wider electorate, put in a composed, spirited performance during a Fox News debate for the seven candidates languishing in the polls, held before the main event on Thursday night.
There were few specifics, but plenty of zingers aimed at conservative voters, all of which resulted in repeated and sustained spikes in Google searches for her name.
Candidates with lower name recognition might expect to get more Google searches (viewers know who the others are) but the data echoed with what many pundits agreed was surprisingly accomplished oratory from someone with such limited experience of frontline politics.
Fiorina was also the only candidate to land a punch on the Republican frontrunner in the polls – referred to by Fox News moderators as “the elephant that isn’t in the room” – Donald Trump.
“Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton? I didn’t,” she said, mocking the recent revelation that Trump, who has funded the Clintons, consulted the former president before entering the race. “Maybe it was because I haven’t given to his foundation, and donated to his wife’s campaign.”
She added that Trump had “tapped into an anger that people feel; they’re sick of politics as usual”, and then said: “Since he has changed his mind on amnesty, on healthcare and on abortion, I would just ask, what are the principles by which he will govern?”
They were stinging remarks and Trump, who currently leads the field, and will appear centre-stage at the main debate later on Thursday, was not there to retaliate.
Fiorina, standing beside former and serving governors, appeared unfazed by her lack of experience in politics and was clearly unafraid of overselling herself. Asked by a Fox News moderator early on whether her decision to compare herself with Margaret Thatcher was “a stretch”, Fiorina didn’t flinch.
“At this point in previous elections, Jimmy Carter couldn’t win, Ronald Reagan couldn’t win, Bill Clinton couldn’t win, and neither could’ve Barack Obama. I started as secretary, and became ultimately the chief executive of the largest technology company in the world,” she said.
The business executive – the strength of whose performance at Hewlett Packard is doubted, including by Hewlett Packard – nonetheless appeared to impress others on the stage. Answering a question about the Iran nuclear deal, Texan governor Rick Perry said Fiorina would have made a better negotiator than the secretary of state, John Kerry. “I took it as a compliment,” she told reporters afterwards.
Fiorina’s own rebuttal to the Iran deal may have been lacked any detail but it packed a rhetorical punch.
“Sometimes it is a complicated situation, but some things are black and white. On day one, in the Oval Office, I would take two phone calls: the first would be to my good friend Bibi Netanyahu, to reassure him that we stand with the state of Israel. The second would be to the supreme leader of Iran. He might not take my phone call, but he would get the message.”
In another flourish intended to stir Republican hearts, Fiorina’s answer was almost rhythmic. “We have arrived at a point in our nation’s history when the potential of too many Americans is being crushed by the weight, the power, the cost, the complexity, the ineptitude, the corruption of the federal government, and only someone who will challenge the status quote of Washington DC will lead the resurgence of this great nation. I-will-do-that.”
Gliding into a spin room adjoining the stage immediately afterwards, Fiorina was mobbed, and handled reporters as confidently as she did the Fox News moderators. “The point is, I’m not a member of the political class,” she said, drawing on a sentiment that has pulled voters toward Trump.
“Only 40% of Republicans knew who I was before this debate,” she added. “It was a great opportunity to introduce myself.”
