Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard and a former spokeswoman for John McCain’s 2008 campaign, officially announced that she will run against Senator Barbara Boxer, a fearless, dedicated champion for women’s rights, in the 2010 election. Fiorina announced her candidacy in an Orange County Register op-ed and will face current state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore in the Republican primary in June 2010.
Fiorina’s candidacy has been criticized due to her apparent lack of political involvement. Since 2000, she failed to vote as a private citizen in 75 percent of California’s elections, including all presidential primary and gubernatorial races, reported the Los Angeles Times. Fiorina attempted to combat her record in her announcement by writing “Admittedly, I have not always been engaged in the electoral process, and I should have been. For many years I felt disconnected from the decisions made in Washington and, to be honest, really didn’t think my vote mattered because I didn’t have a direct line of sight from my vote to a result. I realize that thinking was wrong.”
Senator Boxer has served for 17 years in the US Senate and currently chairs the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues. Boxer is also a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. She has fought for a wide range of women’s rights ranging from reversing the global gag rule, which President Barack Obama repealed during the first days of his presidency, to championing the Afghan Women Empowerment Act.
