With just over 13 months left until we elect our new president, the election season is in full swing. For the Democrats, Bernie Sanders has taken the lead over Hillary Clinton in a new poll out of New Hampshire. For the Republicans, Donald Trump’s favorability remains steady while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is slowly gaining on the billionaire businessman.
With the first Democratic candidate debate on Oct. 13 and the next Republican candidate debate looming nearer on Sept. 16, candidates on both sides of the aisle are working to boost their name recognition and popularity among voters.
Republicans, though, are facing a more pressing problem — actually making it on the debate stage. More than 15 candidates would prove difficult to fit on one debate stage with ample speaking time, so most major networks are limiting the prime time debate to the top 10 candidates in the polls.
The leading candidates and their campaign teams are scrambling to climb their way up. The members of Rand Paul’s team are scratching their heads after their man, who was once considered a front runner for the nomination, has fallen behind candidates with only 2.5 percent favorability, according to a new Huffington Post Pollster average.
All the candidates are scrambling, but one candidate is preying in the background, waiting for her chance to pounce. And I think that prime opportunity is in the upcoming debate.
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, deserves her shining moment on the main debate stage.
Fiorina’s shallow success in the polls can be attributed to the low name recognition factor. However, following her performance in the “Happy Hour” debate, a small scale discussion for candidates who didn’t make Fox News’ prime time debate, name recognition spiked and now many are finally talking about the candidate that few knew about. And I’m glad that people are finally taking notice.
For starters, Fiorina is not afraid to shy away from her biggest contestants from both parties — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In the small-scale debate, Fiorina took a jab at Trump’s hazy record with the Clinton Foundation. She also, unequivocally, called Clinton a “liar” in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
Additionally, Fiorina impressed major GOP influencers with her post-debate performance. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, tweeted that “(Fox) should invite Carly Fiorina back for the 9 o’clock debate.” In the prime time debate, which, according to Nielsen Media Research, averaged over 24 million viewers, candidate and former Texas governor Rick Perry awarded Fiorina a major compliment.
“I would a whole lot rather (have) had Carly Fiorina over there doing our negotiations than John Kerry,” Perry said. “Maybe we would’ve gotten a deal where we didn’t give everything away.”
Perhaps the most convincing piece of evidence for Fiorina’s appearance on the main stage debate is her representation of the Republican Party. It has been general opinion and consensus that for decades the GOP has been an all-white, male club. Fiorina represents that the GOP is ready for a shift in demographic to all that are willing to serve our country, uphold Constitutional values and ensure freedom.
Regardless of your political affiliation and ideals, it is clear that Fiorina’s performance, audacity and diversity unite to prove that she deserves a spot on the primetime stage.
