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Meg Whitman, Another Hewlett-Packard Executive, Hits the Trail
BEDFORD, N.H. — Carly Fiorina has run for president on her credentials as a Silicon Valley executive, presenting her tenure leading Hewlett-Packard as a case study in bold leadership.
But a different Hewlett-Packard chief executive hit the trail in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Meg Whitman, the former eBay executive who has led Hewlett-Packard since 2011, appeared on Tuesday morning alongside Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, and plans to campaign with him throughout the week.
Ms. Whitman and Ms. Fiorina have a history: They ran on the same statewide ticket in California in 2010, Ms. Whitman as the Republican nominee for governor and Ms. Fiorina as the party’s candidate for Senate. Both were defeated.
Delivering a joint pep talk with Mr. Christie to supporters at his campaign headquarters, Ms. Whitman praised him as the candidate best equipped to manage the presidency. Without mentioning either President Obama or Mr. Christie’s Republican opponents by name, Ms. Whitman said it would be a mistake to turn over the presidency to another first-term senator.
In a brief interview, Ms. Whitman said she admired Ms. Fiorina, but believed that she lacked the necessary experience to be president.
“It’s important to have run something big and have been in political office before you become president of the United States,” Ms. Whitman said. “You’ve got to have the government experience and you’ve got to have run very large organizations that serve people.”
She added, “I have a lot of respect for her, but I think Chris Christie is our best man for the job.”
Ms. Fiorina won about 2 percent of the vote in Iowa on Monday and polls have placed her near the back of the pack in New Hampshire.
Snapping photographs with Mr. Christie’s supporters — including one man wearing a Hewlett-Packard shirt, who identified himself as an employee of the company — Ms. Whitman joked about her unsuccessful campaign for governor six years ago.
One lesson she learned, Ms. Whitman said, was that it’s terribly difficult to run as a Republican in such an overwhelmingly Democratic state. She might have fared better in Colorado, Ms. Whitman said, noting that she and her husband have a home there.
Asked if she was truly considering a campaign in Colorado, Ms. Whitman laughed and responded, “Just joking.”