Carly Fiorina is running for Senate

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Wednesday November 04, 2009 · 8:58 AM PST

2009/11/04 · 08:58

She's challenging Barbara Boxer. I doubt there'll be much of a primary. You'd normally expect a hot primary in California, since the shambles of the state Republican party are so ideologically divided, and dominated by the right wing. Fiorina won't campaign as a right winger, but it's reasonable to expect that her money would swamp whatever candidates the party will cough up.

She already seems to know how to get bargains. She made her announcement, for free, in the guise of an opinion piece in the Orange County Register. That's free advertising there. TV ads are usually costlier.

One year from last Monday California voters will go to the polls after having been inundated by heaps of advertising that will be drowning the state. It'll cost a lot, too: San Francisco and Los Angeles are two of the country's most expensive media markets; those commercials don't come cheap. Same with San Diego.

How will this turn out? My first thought is that since Boxer is a Democrat and an incumbent, she's got an advantage in California, where conservatives just don't get elected statewide. Fiorina will have to campaign as a moderate, which will aggravate rifts in California and nationwide. For example: if Fiorina refuses the help of Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann or Glenn Beck, she'll alienate right wingers. But if she takes their help, she'll alienate the rest of California, while hurting other Republicans in the gubernatorial race and in downballot races. This might do her some good in the Inland Empire and Orange County, but that's not where she needs to scare up votes.

No other candidates for Boxer's seat have emerged, as far as I'm aware. And I can't imagine the state or national Republican parties wanting there to be one. But one might just emerge, spurred on by the purity trolls of the New Right. They took down Richard Riordan in 2002. Remember Governor Bill Simon? No, wait: Simon lost to Gray Davis, of all people. That's how sad the Republican party is in California these days.

Get ready, Carly. It'll be interesting to see how much air time, money and oxygen this one sucks up.

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