Insiders are speculating that Carly Fiorina is laying the groundwork for to run for the RNC chairmanship. | Getty
The former presidential candidate's outreach to state chairs has some speculating she's aiming to lead the organization.
Fiorinas advisers have reached out to more than a dozen state parties telling them that the former GOP presidential hopeful is prepared to help in any way, offering up her personal phone number, and informing them that she would like to connect with their respective state party chairperson.
She is expected to spend much of August on a cross-country blitz. Her travel will take her to Virginia, where she will co-host an event in Virginia with Ed Gillespie, a former RNC chair who is running for governor in 2017. The event, which is being sponsored by Gillespies political action committee, is being billed as a conversation about job creation and economic growth. Also slated to attend is Morton Blackwell, a conservative activist from Virginia who has served as an RNC member for nearly three decades.
She will also be in Colorado, where party officials are in the process of finalizing a campaign event featuring her and endangered GOP Rep. Mike Coffman, and Louisiana, where Fiorina is expected to assist state legislative hopefuls. Next month, she is slated to be in Michigan for the Kent County Lincoln Day dinner.
I think she is trying to help elect Republicans nationwide, noted Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger Villere.
Shes interested in a strong Republican Party, said Steve House, who heads the Colorado GOP.
The moves come as many Republicans are preparing for a Donald Trump loss and beginning to map out plans for what comes next.
At a time when party leaders are increasingly concerned about declining support from female voters, the idea of a Fiorina chairmanship has intrigued some Republicans. Should Hillary Clinton win, they believe, a woman could be an effective party spokesperson. During her unsuccessful 2016 bid, Fiorina cast herself as a Clinton foil and routinely executed sharp attacks on the former secretary of state.
Regardless of whether shes running for RNC chair or not, shes looking for opportunities to stay active in the Republican Party, said Dennis Lennox, the executive director of the Virgin Islands GOP. The reality is, someone like Carly Fiorina brings a lot to the table.
While Fiorina has yet to explicitly express interest in the RNC post, her outreach has begun to draw notice. When the full RNC convenes after the presidential election to select its next chair, all 56 states and territories will get three votes apiece - one from its chair and two from its state committee persons.
The list of states that Fiorina has reached out to is striking. It includes not only traditional battlegrounds like North Carolina, which are filled with competitive elections up and down this years ballot, but also the U.S. territories. While the territories lack high profile races, their party officers are empowered to vote in the RNC chair race.
The past few months Carly has been helping out with major races around the country, I know she is planning to reach out to your party chairman in the next week or so, just to touch base and see if there is any way she could be helpful, Deidre Almstead, a Fiorina adviser, wrote in one recent email to a state party. We would love to hear about any opportunities we might be able to help with this fall.
A Fiorina spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores, declined to comment. Fiorina didnt respond to a text message seeking comment.
Since waging an unsuccessful 2010 California Senate bid, Fiorina has eagerly sought out national roles. During the 2012 election cycle, she served as vice chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In 2013, she was named chairwoman of the American Conservative Union Foundation. Earlier this year, after dropping out of the GOP primary, she served as Ted Cruzs vice presidential running mate. Cruz would eventually exit the race, essentially handing the nomination to Trump.
She has since maintained an active Facebook page, which she has converted into a billboard of attacks on Clinton.
If Fiorina chooses to run for the RNC post, she would almost certainly not be alone. Arizona GOP chair Robert Graham and Matt Pinnell, a former Oklahoma GOP chair who now serves as the RNCs national state party director, are almost certain to wage bids. The current party chair, Reince Priebus, has yet to announce whether he will seek another term but many Republican higher-ups expect he wont.
To some, the idea of a Fiorina chairmanship is far-fetched. After a treacherous election cycle, they argue, the GOP will need an experienced political operative and tactician who will be able to rebuild a beleaguered GOP.
If Trump wins, he would have a large say over who gets the job; if he loses, a plethora of contenders could enter the fray.
Robin Hayes, the North Carolina Republican Party chair, said Fiorina had reached out to his office about how she could help and that his aides had been in contact in her.
Asked if the outreach would help Fiorina in a prospective campaign for RNC chair, Hayes responded: It certainly wouldnt hurt.
Poster Comment:
The Cruz/Fiorina 2020 campaign against President Hillary Clinton, is officially underway.
Reince Priebus and Donny Trump are finished.