Carly's McCain Campaign

Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina talks about fund-raising for John McCain, free trade, immigration, and the war in Iraq

Onetime Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) Chief Executive Carly Fiorina has found a new calling. One of the country's most prominent business executives, Fiorina has been on the campaign trail in recent months, stumping for Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) in key states such as Iowa, Florida, and Michigan. Now, she's taking on a bigger role as campaign officials—at least on the Republican side—turn their attention to the general election in November. On Mar. 7, Fiorina was named the "victory chairman" of the Republican National Committee's electoral efforts. That will give her a high-profile role as a campaign surrogate for McCain.

Fiorina, who has frequently been rumored to be interested in moving into politics for the next stage of her career, spoke with Jane Sasseen, BusinessWeek's Washington bureau chief, about her new job, McCain's economic agenda, and what's ahead for the campaign—and herself—as the race unfolds. Here are edited excerpts from the interview.

How did you get involved with Senator McCain's campaign? Have you backed other candidates in the past?

Nope. I did some transition work for [California] Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger, and I've certainly contributed to the Republican party before, but John McCain is the first candidate I have publicly endorsed. And he's certainly the first person I've campaigned actively for. I've been doing it—well, I signed on with him about 18 months ago—so I've been through the ups and downs, and now the ups, and I did it because I think he is truly a unique leader. I think he is the right leader for our country at this time, and I think this is a very important election.

What convinced you of that?

I think he has genuine character, which has been tested over and over again and he has never been found wanting. I think he understands the world we're living in, both from a foreign policy perspective but also frankly from an economic perspective. I think the 21st century is a very different time for America, and I think the choices we make about our role in the world and the choices we make about our economy really matter. And I think there are clear differences.

How so? What do you see as the biggest difference between McCain and his Democratic rivals, in terms of issues that are important to business?

Well, I think John McCain and the Republican party believe that you put money and choices in the hands of people, not in the hands of government. That's as simply as I can say it. And I think from a foreign perspective or a foreign engagement perspective, John McCain supports free trade, and so do I, because it creates jobs and it creates growth for this country. The Democrats are clearly becoming more protectionist with each passing speech. And either Democratic candidate has said very clearly that they will withdraw our troops from Iraq and signal defeat and surrender. And neither John McCain nor I believe that's the right thing to do. We can win in Iraq, and we should.

What exactly will your role be within the RNC and campaign? It's been described as fund-raising as well as working with McCain to help broaden his economic message.

Specifically, my role is to be the primary advocate for John McCain and for the Republican Party. Certainly there are a lot of people who are engaged in fund-raising who are more expert at it than I am. My role primarily is to advocate and communicate with the American people about the candidate and the party. And certainly I have a business background and understand economics, and so I will be engaged in that part as well.

Will you be primarily targeting the business community?

No, as broadly as possible, actually. Certainly the small business community is a very important focus for us, but more broadly—to young people and women and Hispanics, Asian Americans, African Americans. This is a general election, after all—and we've moved on to the general election.