JON SCOTT: Nina, Hillary Clinton's support among women has been flagging of late. Does Carly Fiorina offer, perhaps, the best Republican alternative?
NINA EASTON: Well, Carly Fiorina provides a great alternative vision for women in politics. She doesn't see women as a special interest group, and I thought she beautifully captured that in the debate when she wouldn't -- to the question of should you put a woman's face on the $10 or $20 bill. All the other candidates were struggling to come up with an idea, and she said 'That's an empty gesture. That's not what this is about.' Yeah, I think she's great for the Republican brand, and it's something the Republicans need. She will appeal to some independents and moderates. She's not going to peel away at Hillary Clinton's core supporters, however.
SCOTT: Jamie, Democrats launched the 'War on Women' as a campaign theme the last time around, blamed that on Republicans. Would the presence of a Carly Fiorina on the ticket or at least, you know, very visible within a party, does it blunt some of that?
JAMIE WEINSTEIN: Well, it certainly makes the narrative much harder. How do you say the Republicans are leading a war on women when, let's say the top of the ticket, the person running for president, is a woman? It makes it, I think, much more difficult. Does that mean it's going to change the course of how women vote? Maybe not. But she certainly, I think, can peel some voters away if she is more impressive than Hillary just with her record. Now, she had a stunning debate success, but the question that follows now is, can she continue on and defend her record at HP when there's more scrutiny applied to it? That is where [sic] she's going to have to do now. She didn't have so much scrutiny going in, but because of her stunning performance, the scrutiny will now be applied to her.
