I underestimated Carly Fiorina

“She tweets about equal pay for women but won’t answer basic questions about her own offices’ pay standards—and neither will our President. Hillary likes hashtags. But she doesn’t know what leadership means,” Fiorina thundered. Another favorite quip of Fiorina’s is: “Unlike Mrs. Clinton, I know that flying is an activity, not an accomplishment.” Her advisers are convinced that jibe has gotten under Clinton’s skin.

Despite her limited electoral experience, she brings unique political assets to the table. She’s the only woman in the GOP’s crowded field. She spoke fluently on foreign policy in her speech, touching upon her personal relationship with King Hussein of Jordan, calling on strong support for Netanyahu, and decrying the administration’s feckless handling of the crisis in Ukraine. Along with Carson, she’s one of only two non-politicians in the field who can tout an accomplished (though polarizing) business history. She’s capable of winning support from both the party’s establishment and grassroots—a necessary asset that limits many of her challengers’ appeal.

Indeed, after her speech, several attendees speculated that if her campaign exceeds expectations, she could end up on the short list as the GOP nominee’s running mate. She’s already playing the traditional running mate role with her aggressive attacks against Hillary Clinton. She’d potentially neutralize the GOP vulnerability with women voters, one of the major concerns of GOP strategists. Asked what he thought of her speech, Adam Kwasman, a 2014 congressional candidate from Arizona, volunteered that she should be the party’s top number two.