“The debate is essential because without a good debate performance she’s history,” said Republican strategist John Feehery, who writes a column for The Hill.

“She’s very dependent of the glare of the debates to give her credibility, so she’s going to need this next debate for that precise reason.”

Strategists agree about the importance of a strong performance during the Oct. 28 debate, but say that even more importantly, she must follow that up by spending in key states and going on the attack to maintain any post-debate bump.

Fiorina’s campaign knows that it all starts with the debate stage. It sent out a fundraising email pitch Friday afternoon attributed to the candidate that calls the debate “critical” to “building this campaign’s momentum.”

“Wednesday’s debate is going to be another monumental moment for this campaign,” she wrote.