Carly Fiorina announced Wednesday afternoon that she plans to suspend her presidential campaign after disappointing showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. Fiorina, a former tech company CEO, posted a statement explaining her rationale on Facebook.
“While I suspend my candidacy today,” Fiorina wrote, “I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.”
Today, I am suspending my campaign. My full statement is here: https://t.co/8QElLZoc1W
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) February 10, 2016
Fiorina, who placed 7th in both the Iowa Republican caucus and the New Hampshire Republican primary, received high marks for her debate performances, but she was unable to break through a crowded field that included accomplished senators, governors, and businessmen.
In her farewell note, Fiorina also offered encouragement to girls and women on how to make a difference in their lives and those of others.
“Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman,” Fiorina wrote. “That is not feminism.”
“A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts,” she continued. “And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.”
You can read her full statement below or at her Facebook page here.
This campaign was always about citizenship—taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I’ve said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I’m not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.
Our Republican Party must fight alongside these Americans as well. We must end crony capitalism by fighting the policies that allow it to flourish. We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable. Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential.
To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.
As I have said to the many wonderful Americans I have met throughout this campaign, a leader is a servant whose highest calling is to unlock potential in others. I will continue to serve in order to restore citizen government to this great nation so that together we may fulfill our potential.
