A pair of former Republican presidential candidates threw their support Thursday behind Carly Fiorina’s effort to get on stage at Saturday’s GOP debate in New Hampshire.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich echoed the argument Fiorina put forth in a letter to the Republican National Committee, which argued that she should be allowed in the debate, hosted by ABC News, because she outperformed some other Republican presidential hopefuls in the Iowa caucuses.
.@abcnews should put @CarlyFiorina in the new hampshire debate.she came in ahead of kasich and christie. She has earned a spot.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) February 4, 2016
Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney concurred, asking ABC not to exclude the “only woman” in the GOP field:
Hey @ABC: put @CarlyFiorina on the debate stage! She got more Iowa votes than John and Chris. Don’t exclude only woman.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) February 4, 2016
Former Fiorina rival and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry got in on the action as well:
.@CarlyFiorina should be on the debate stage Saturday!!
— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) February 4, 2016
Fiorina argued Thursday in an interview with MSNBC that she was a more viable candidate than several of her opponents who qualify to participate in the debate.
“Let’s start with the facts. I’m a viable candidate and there’s room for eight people on a stage,” she said. “The truth is, I am a more viable candidate than several people on that stage. I have more cash on hand. I have a bigger team. I have a greater ground game. I’m a more viable candidate.”
She added that it wasn’t fair for people to accuse her of playing the “gender card.”
“By the way, I just happen to be a woman,” she told MSNBC. “Sorry, I can’t help that. I’m a woman.”