Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina says the Benghazi “punch” could have defeated President Obama in 2012, but it “didn’t get thrown.”
“We thought in 2012 that Benghazi was Obama’s Achilles’ heel,” the former Hewlett-Packard CEO said in a Thursday call with supporters. “But the punch didn’t get thrown. We can’t count on the media to do this…And so the only way to make sure these questions are asked and answered is to have a nominee who will demand an answer.”
Fiorina insisted she wouldn’t shy away from bringing up damaging issues, like the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks, while debating Hillary Clinton.
“Whether or not people have committed to me yet, everyone says the same thing: I would love to see you debate Hillary Clinton,” Fiorina said. “And the reason people would love to see that is they know what I would do. They know that I would win that debate. They know I would bring up all the tough issues that are not being brought up.”
Asked about the upcoming GOP primary debates, Fiorina said: “This debate next week is important but it’s not the end of the world. And it’s the beginning, not the end, of a very, very long process.”
Next week’s prime-time debate will include just the Republicans polling in the top 10 nationally; according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Fiorina is in 13th place. (The other candidates will take part in a televised forum earlier in the day.)
“At this point in the process, in previous presidential elections, the polls, the pundits and the money said that Jimmy Carter couldn’t win, Ronald Reagan couldn’t win, Bill Clinton couldn’t win and Barack Obama couldn’t win,” Fiorina said.
Added the Republican: “I am going to do what I’ve been doing. And I’ve gotten further than most people predicted when I launched my candidacy on May 4.”