Subject: USA Today - Cruz picks Fiorina as running mate
From: "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>
To: "Dacey, Amy" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Miranda, Luis" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2016 13:52:55 -0700

Cruz picks Fiorina as running mate
Cooper Allen<http://www.usatoday.com/staff/2101/cooper-allen/> and Fredreka Schouten<http://www.usatoday.com/staff/813/fredreka-schouten/>,
USA TODAY
4:38 p.m. EDT April 27, 2016

Ted Cruz announced Wednesday that Carly Fiorina, a former rival in the GOP race, would join him on the Republican ticket if he wins the nomination, calling her a "woman of deep principle."

"After a great deal of time and thought, after a great deal of consideration and prayer, I have come to the conclusion that if I am nominated to be president of the United States, that I will run on a ticket with my vice presidential nominee, Carly Fiorina," Cruz said at a rally in Indianapolis.

Cruz listed the qualities he looked for in a running mate, citing the need for someone with "knowledge," "judgment" and "character."

"Are they honest? Do they have core principles that come from their gut?" Cruz said, as he described the criteria he used in assessing a potential vice presidential pick.

The Texas senator recounted Fiorina's rise in the corporate world, calling her "brilliant and capable" and someone who has "shattered glass ceilings."

Speculation that Cruz would announce a running mate started swirling earlier in the day after the Texas senator teased that he had a "major announcement" to make later in the day. Campaign manager Jeff Roe earlier this week confirmed the campaign had arrived at a short list of possible vice presidential candidates.

Fiorina surged to the top tier of GOP presidential candidates last August and September following widely praised debate performances. However, her stock quickly fell and by early 2016 she had been relegated back to the undercard debate for low-polling GOP candidates. Cruz, in announcing his pick Wednesday, cited a moment during a September debate at the Ronald Reagan Library in California when she pushed back at Trump, who at criticized her looks in a recent interview.

"I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said," Fiorina retorted stonily during the debate in Simi Valley, Calif.

Cruz said she responded with "grace" and "class."

Fiorina ended her presidential campaign in February following a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary. A month later, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO endorsed Cruz in a surprise rally appearance in Miami. During her endorsement remarks, Fiorina called him "a constitutional conservative" who can "unite our party,"

Fiorina appears to have the support of Cruz's biggest financial benefactor.

Last June, a pro-Cruz super PAC funded by New York hedge funder Robert Mercergave $500,000 to a group supporting Fiorina's candidacy. Mercer, a reclusive and ultra-conservative billionaire, has pumped more than $13 million into the presidential contest to support Cruz's candidacy so far.

Asked about that donation earlier this year, Kristina Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the Mercer-funded super PAC, told USA TODAY that "we ... knew from the beginning she was a true conservative with a message that would resonate."

Some questioned how much Fiorina's selection would affect the overall GOP race.

"This pick is an attempt to mute Trump's appeal to voters who want a political outsider, but it is unlikely to have much impact," said Patrick Murray, director of theMonmouth University Polling Institute in a statement. "Republican voters already have an outsider candidate they like."

Democratic National Committee CEO Amy Dacey blasted the pick, calling it a "desperate move from a desperate and dying campaign."

Cruz's move, which comes after a string of primary losses Tuesday to Trump, is an effort to jump-start his campaign. Fiorina's presence also could put the spotlight once again on Trump's derisive comments about women, just as the developer seeks to pivot to the general-election battle.

The announcement comes less than a week before Indiana's May 3 primary, which has emerged as possibly the Texas senator's last stand in his fight to keep Trump from winning the nomination outright.