Potential Republican presidential contender Carly Fiorina said Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won’t be able to “play the gender card” if she faces off against a woman in the presidential contest.
“I think that if Hillary Clinton were to face a female nominee, there are a whole set of things that she won’t be able to talk about,” Fiorina told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast. “She won’t be able to talk about being the first woman president. She won’t be able to talk about a war on women without being challenged. She won’t be able to play the gender card.”
Fiorina said in a female vs. female presidential match-up, Clinton would have to run on “her track record, her accomplishments, her candor and trustworthiness and her policies.”
“And I think that’s what elections should be run on — not identity politics, not what you look like, but who you are, and what you believe, and what you’ve done, and what you will do,” she continued.
The former Hewlett-Packard CEO is publicly undecided on whether to run for president, but she’s been making preparations for a campaign, traveling to early primary states to gauge interest in a potential bid. This week she’ll be in New Hampshire with the rest of the potential and announced GOP presidential contenders for the Republican Leadership Summit, hosted by the New Hampshire Republican Party.
She’s been an outspoken critic of Clinton since the Democrat launched her campaign this past weekend, charging Tuesday that Clinton “lacks accomplishment” and knocking her on equal pay for women on Facebook.
But Fiorina argued Thursday that aside from her gender, her business experience made her uniquely qualified for the presidency.
“I’m not a neophyte in government, but I’m not a professional politician,” she said.
She later added: “I understand how the world works.”