The possibility of a Fiorina candidacy—which at this point is, of course, still just a possibility—speaks to the dearth of Republican women considered to be presidential prospects.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez are occasionally mentioned, as are New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Reps. Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn have put their own names out as possibilities. But none of those women have taken steps that normally precede a candidacy.

“Look, I think it would be great if we had female candidates—or candidate,” Fiorina said as she headed to an event in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, her fourth of the day. “A party should be as diverse as the people it is trying to represent … this is a diverse nation and 53 percent of the voters are women.”

Dana Perino, who was the first female White House press secretary under a Republican president and now cohosts The Five on Fox News, doesn’t see any of these Republican women being immediately ready to jump into the fray. “I don’t predict ‘an instant presidential candidate, just add water’ on the GOP side in 2016, but I am impressed with many of the leaders, especially the governors.”