To the many confounding things about the 2016 GOP primary (the staying power of Trump and Carson, Walker’s early exit), we can add the question of where Carly Fiorina fits into all of this. She’s neither a pure “outsider” a la Ben Carson and Donald Trump, nor an insider like Jeb Bush. Her strong performance at the September GOP debate got her buzz and boosted her poll numbers. Since then, however, the buzz and her polling numbers have faded. Yet, talk to voters, or listen in to a couple GOP focus groups as I have over the last two weeks, and it’s clear that she’s got a deep base of goodwill. GOP primary voters think she’s smart, respect her and see her as a candidate who can win in November. The question is whether they’ll ultimately vote for her. After the former HP CEO expertly shut down and outshone Donald Trump in the CNN debate, polls showed a significant spike in her favor. A late September NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed her tied with Marco Rubio for third place –
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