WASHINGTON — Former technology executive Carly Fiorina formally entered the 2016 presidential race Monday, launching a Republican White House bid in a morning announcement that highlighted her role as a leading critic of Democratic contender Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. is the only woman in the crowded field of major GOP candidates. She has never held elected office, but she could play a prominent role in the GOP’s push to broaden its appeal with women in 2016. Democrats have won the female vote in every presidential election since 1988.
Fiorina announced her campaign in an online video posted roughly the same time she confirmed her intentions with ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Clinton played a prominent role in both.
Fiorina’s announcement video begins with her watching the former secretary of state’s recent announcement video.
“Our founders never intended us to have a professional political class,” Fiorina said after turning away from a television on which Clinton declared her own candidacy. “We know the only way to reimagine our government is to reimagine who is leading it.”
Fiorina, 60, has long been a fierce critic of Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, whose potential to become the nation’s first female president is a centerpiece of her political brand.
“I have a lot of admiration for Hillary Clinton, but she clearly is not trustworthy,” Fiorina said.
Fiorina became a prominent figure in Republican politics in 2010, when she ran for Senate in California and lost to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer by 10 points.
