Republican leaders are viewing Fiorina as the party's best chance to take down Boxer

Carly Fiorina filed papers last week for a political fundraising committee, presumably to run for Barbara Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat.  Fiorina, a Republican who was the former CEO at Hewlett-Packard, will be opposing Assemblyman Chuck DeVore of Orange County in the GOP primary.  DeVore has been campaigning for months, but doesn’t have the resources that Fiorina seems prepared to spend.

Fiorina has hired the communications firm that helped Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in most of his campaigns, as well as a creative firm that worked on the McCain-Palin campaign.  She and DeVore seem to have similar beliefs on social issues (both oppose abortion), but DeVore has a strong anti-tax following while Fiorina supported President Obama’s financial stimulus and bailout.

Fiorina’s ousting at HP will likely be closely examined in coming weeks. In addition, an article in The San Francisco Chronicle revealed that Fiorina had voted in just five of 18 national, state and local elections--- a record that DeVore lambasted in a statement.

Fiorina was the first woman to chair a Fortune 20 firm, and will likely rely heavily on her business experience rather than her limited political career (she was an advisor to the McCain campaign). DeVore, alternatively, served in the Pentagon under President Reagan and worked at both the municipal and state levels before being elected to the Assembly in 2004.

However, Fiorina will prove a formidable opponent as some Republicans see her as a more likely candidate to challenge Boxer.  Earlier this month, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) talked to reporters about Boxer’s standing in the next election and plugging Fiorina as a viable replacement.

Before Fiorina alluded to her candidacy, a Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found that Fiorina only lags 4 percentage points behind Boxer, a three-term incumbent. In March, Boxer led Fiorina by 9 percentage points.

"The people of California have serious concerns about job creation, economic growth and the role of government in solving problems that touch each of our lives," Fiorina said in a statement. "I have received a great deal of encouragement to make a run for the Senate in 2010 from people across the political spectrum because these are all issues that need focused attention in Washington."

                                        

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