9:55am | The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce will endorse Republican candidate Carly Fiorina in her upcoming bid to unseat 28-year U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer this November, and the two new partners joined each other at a Long Beach press conference yesterday.
The press conference took place at SNUGTop, a fiberglass manufacturer known for making strong covers for truck beds that operates in west Long Beach. A press release from Fiorina’s office yesterday called SNUGTop “one of the last manufacturers still in business in the Long Beach area” – a stretch, no? – and during the candidate’s speech she actually referred to it as “the last manufacturer in Long Beach,” an inaccuracy that the Press-Telegram today called her on.
Gaffes aside, Fiorina focused her visit on the importance of sustaining and creating jobs for California, which she has argued since announcing her candidacy that Senator Boxer has not made a priority. Fiorina also made jobs her focus when she spoke at a Long Beach Chamber of Commerce event this past March. The Press-Telegram‘s Joanne Tucker explains some of Fiorina’s ideas in a difficult California business environment.
Fiorina’s plan for job growth is to develop a two-year payroll tax holiday, a temporary elimination or reduction in taxes, for small and start-up businesses.
Fiorina criticized U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, her opponent in the November election. Fiorina claimed that Boxer’s support for tax increases, government regulations and policies supported by Boxer are forcing companies to outsource jobs.
After defeating Republican opponent Tom Campbell in the June primary, Fiorina has now set her sights squarely on Senator Boxer. Long Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Randy Gordon said that this is the first time the organization has endorsed a U.S. Senate candidate in 119 years.
“We are taking this unique step forward because the times demand this type of investment,” Gordon told the crowd. “Carly is the right leader to get our country moving forward towards prosperity. We can’t afford another term of status quo and special interest paybacks.”
Firorina’s stance has earned her support from not only local organizations like the Long Beach Chamber, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well.
“For 28 long years, Barbara Boxer has failed to fight for jobs, failed to fight for policies that spur economic growth and failed to fight for American companies,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President and National Political Director Bill Miller, in a press release.
“Carly Fiorina, on the other hand, understands firsthand the challenges companies face every day and will fight for the policies in Washington we need so our companies can compete in the global marketplace and so our economy can recover, grow and flourish.”
Disclosure: lbpost.com publisher Shaun Lumachi is a government affairs advisor to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce