Though Fiorina’s been pretty good every time I’ve heard her the past few months, she still has a lot to prove. At the very least, though, she belongs in the top tier—certainly above the likes of Donald Trump or Mike Huckabee. But Fiorina will most likely not get a chance at the next prime time debate. CNN is using all qualified polls from July through Sept. 10, so she may not get enough of a bump to qualify.

It’s also fair to point out that Fiorina’s record, as far as records go, isn’t very conservative. But the most daunting political challenge Fiorina will face is answering for her own accomplishments. She broke through the glass ceiling becoming the first woman Fortune 500 CEO. The trouble with a real CEO running for political office is twofold. There’s no winning. It doesn’t matter if your tenure was outstanding or a dismal failure. Politics is not about merit, or 90 percent of incumbents wouldn’t win elections. At some point CEOs fire people. At some point they ruin lives, no matter how good they are at their jobs. Many of those fired faces, some of them with terrible stories to tell, will be on TV. Every transaction is grist for an misleading attack ad. Ask Mitt Romney.