Carly Fiorina offered some rare praise this week for her only female opponent in the presidential race.
In an interview for this week’s issue of People Magazine, Fiorina complimented Hillary Clinton’s work ethic in the 2016 election.
“I feel empathy with every woman who is working really hard and giving it all they’ve got — and Hillary is,” Fiorina said of Clinton. “She’s smart, she’s hardworking, she’s giving it all she’s got.”
She said she doesn’t agree with Clinton on the issues, but she does feel empathy for her because they’re both the only women running for president and says she would never personally attack her.
“We as women, especially in presidential politics, need to play by the same rules as the men. If we want to play this game as equals, we need to play by the same rules, and that means our track record is relevant,” Fiorina told People Magazine. “And so I never make a personal comment about Hillary Clinton — my criticism of her is fact-based, based on her actions and track record. And that is fair game.”
Fiorina did, however, repeat her criticism of Clinton’s professional record, similar to her critique in a CNN op-ed published last month to name “one accomplishment” because she had “yet to name one.”
Fiorina talked about meeting Clinton in 2001 when she gave the commencement speech at Stanford University, which was the same year Chelsea Clinton graduated.
“I think there are many, many Democrats who find it impossible to admire a woman that they politically disagree with,” Fiorina told the magazine. “So when you have Democrats saying my candidacy is offensive to women, that’s about politics. That’s not about an admiration of a fellow woman. That’s not about kinship. And I think that’s too bad.”