By Alina Selyukh and Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said on Sunday the chances she would run for the U.S. presidency in 2016 were “higher than 90 percent” and that she would announce her plans in late April to early May.
Fiorina, speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” said she could not yet announce the bid because she was working to establish her team and put together what she described as “the right support” and financial resources.
Fiorina is one of many potential Republican presidential candidates including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Earlier this month, Texas Senator Ted Cruz became the first major figure from either political party to formally announce his 2016 presidential bid.
Rubio may announce his intentions to run in mid-April, a local Florida newspaper reported this month.
Huckabee, speaking Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” said that he has not yet reached a decision.
“I’ve been saying it’s going to be this spring; we’re barely into it,” he said. “So give me a few more weeks. I’ll make an announcement relatively soon.”
Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton is expected to be the front-runner for the nomination, although she has yet to formally announce her plans.
A potential challenger, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, threw a few punches at Clinton on Sunday and talked of his accomplishments. He said he hoped to reach a decision on a presidential bid in the spring.
“I have the experience, through 15 years of public service … of getting things done,” O’Malley said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “I believe that new perspective and new leadership is needed.”
When asked about his support for Clinton when he served in 2007 as the chair of her Maryland campaign, O’Malley said he felt she was the best choice “for those times.”
He also noted that the presidential seat should not be “some crown to be passed between two families.”
(Reporting by Alina Selyukh and Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Susan Thomas and Jane Baird)
- Carly Fiorina
- Hillary Clinton
