Ex-HP boss confirms political move

California gets tech Senate bid

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Financial News, 5th November 2009 12:05 GMT

Free whitepaper – Thermal design of Dell PowerEdge server

The former boss of HP, Carly Fiorina, is to stand as a Republican candidate for Senate for California.

Writing in the Orange County Register (no relation), Fiorina said: "Our most pressing problems today are too few jobs for Americans and too much spending in Washington. As California's senator, economic recovery and fiscal accountability will be my priorities.

"I will not settle for a jobless recovery. And we can start the important work of getting our financial house back in order by demanding to know where our money is being spent. Let's put every government budget and every government bill on the Internet for every citizen to see."

Fiorina, who has recently completed treatment for breast cancer, said healthcare reform was another focus but politicians should build on what works rather than "remaking the entire national health care system at the cost of higher taxes and exploding deficits".

Presumably referring to the row over her distinctly patchy record of actually bothering to vote in previous elections, Fiorina wrote: "Admittedly, I have not always been engaged in the electoral process, and I should have been."

Her business record is also mixed - she oversaw HP's takeover of Compaq but saw the company's share price fall and struggled to deal with the firm's board. She also presided over the shedding of thousands of jobs - and presumably struck a few contracts with the government in her time.

Of course Fiorina is not the only tech titan threatening California. Ex-eBay boss Meg Whitman is threatening to run for Republican governor in place of the Governator Arnie who will shortly complete his second, and final, term. (Oddly enough, Meg Whitman also hardly bothered to vote in elections.) ®

Free whitepaper – Migrating to the new Dell Management Console