Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina ‘76 met with 35 Graduate School of Business students in Palo Alto on Thursday to discuss jobs and economic growth.
The campaign stop came with just more than a month until the Nov. 2 election, in which Fiorina faces incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer. Throughout the race, the candidates have sparred over each other’s job plans, an issue hanging heavy over a state with 12.4 percent unemployment.
The Public Management Initiative, a nonpartisan group of Stanford business students taking part in the school’s certificate-granting Public Management Program, invited Fiorina to Palo Alto. Its objective is to “have intelligent, thoughtful debates about the key challenges facing the United States right now,” said member Evan Brown, a second-year M.B.A. student who introduced Fiorina on Thursday.
“She showed an interest in meeting with students who were going to be joining the workforce soon and having a very open discussion with students from all political affiliations,” Brown added.
The business students met Fiorina at noon at Lavanda Restaurant on University Avenue, according to a campaign spokesperson. Brown said Fiorina spoke for 20 minutes before taking questions for 40 minutes from students about American innovation, business regulation and how she would address the federal deficit.
“We had a real diversity of questions on political issues,” Brown said. “I think the students were very satisfied with how it went.”
The group plans to invite Boxer to meet with students later this quarter.
Earlier this week, Fiorina was in Sacramento for a forum with the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association. On Wednesday, she and Boxer met on public radio for a debate, their second of the campaign.
A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California this week showed Boxer holding a seven-point lead over Fiorina.
Fiorina is a former executive at HP, founded by Stanford alumni David Packard ‘34 and William Hewlett ’34, and headquartered in Palo Alto. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford. She and her husband live in Los Altos Hills, according to her campaign.