House Republican lawmakers looking for a last-ditch way to stop Donald Trump from winning the GOP nomination are hoping Carly Fiorina is the answer.
Ted Cruz announced Wednesday that he’d put her on the ticket with him if he wins the nomination. Republicans say the move comes just in time for the Indiana and California primaries that are key contests in the race to block Trump.
“If I am nominated, I will run on a ticket with @carlyfiorina as my Vice President,” Cruz announced on Twitter Wednesday.
Lawmakers say the move may help turn things around for Cruz, who was soundly defeated by Trump in primaries held in five northeastern states.
“We needed something to change the dynamics and this may do it,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., said of the Fiorina move.
Fiorina, who dropped her own presidential bid in February, could be particularly helpful in California, where she has strong GOP support and statewide name recognition. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer in 2010.
“She ought to help a whole lot in California,” Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., an early Cruz backer, told the Washington Examiner.
The California Republican primary takes place on June 7 and offers 172 delegates. A big Cruz victory there could make it harder for Trump to secure the 1,237 delegates needed to win outright.
Cruz is already considered a formidable challenger to Trump in California because his campaign is far better organized on the ground. But he trails Trump in the polls by about 17 points, according to a RealClearPolitics average.
Brooks said Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, will boost Cruz’s chances of victory in the upcoming Indiana primary, which is considered by some to be a must-win contest. Polls show Trump ahead there, but only by single digits.
“I believe she will help Ted Cruz in Indiana,” Brooks said.
Other lawmakers were less optimistic.
Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., who backed Marco Rubio’s now-defunct presidential bid, said she doesn’t believe it’s promising to include Fiorina on the GOP ticket will stop a Trump victory. Trump is far ahead in the delegate count, with 954 delegates compared with Cruz’s 562 delegates.
“I don’t know if it helps,” Noem said. “Right now, Cruz is so far behind in the race it’s hard to see this being a game-changer. I love the fact that he picked a woman and a qualified businesswoman is wonderful. I just don’t know if it changes the situation.”
