Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is back in the 2016 campaign — but as a vice-presidential candidate.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced Fiorina as his vice-presidential running mate Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis, a day after GOP front-runner Donald Trump swept five primaries in Northeastern states.
Days before the announced, several news outlets reported Cruz was vetting Fiorina for the role.
“Carly respects the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and she understands the threats facing America,” Cruz said during the rally. “She understands this is a dangerous world, and in naming her as my vice presidential nominee, I am also telling you that she is someone you can be confident in.”
In addition, Cruz said, Fiorina was able to carry herself and not stand down to insults from other candidates, specifically naming Trump.
Fiorina previously ran for president before dropping out on Feb. 10, a day after the New Hampshire primary, in which she only garnered 4.1 percent of votes.
“This is the fight of our time. And I believe Ted Cruz is the man to lead that fight,” Fiorina said at the Wednesday announcement. “And I am prepared to stand by his side and give this everything I have, to restore the soul of our party, to defeat Donald Trump, to defeat Hillary Clinton, and to take our country back.”
Des Moines native Steve Deace, a talk-show host and Cruz surrogate, tweeted during the announcement the six reasons Fiorina “is a good pick for Cruz.”
Some of the reasons include: “As I’ve said many times, she might be the best messenger in the party,” “Her presence is a living, daily reminder of Trump’s struggles with women,” and “She’s liked by almost every Republican.”
Deace, however, has criticized Fiorina in the past.
Following the Dec. 15 CNN debate, Deace said in a tweet: “Wow … Fiorina goes full vagina right away.” He has since apologized for the tweet.
Bob Vander Plaats, the president of the Family Leader — a Christian conservative group in Iowa — and a Cruz supporter, attended Cruz’s announcement in Indianapolis.
Vander Plaats, who endorsed Cruz prior to the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, tweeted a photo out of him and his wife along with Cruz and Fiorina. The caption said, “History made.”
Trump responded to Cruz’s announcement by calling it a “desperate attempt to save a failing campaign.”
“The people of Indiana are very smart — they will see through this just like they saw through the already-failed Kasich alliance,” Trump said in a statement. “Cruz has no path to victory — he is only trying to stay relevant.”