Carly Fiorina backs out of Virginia Senate race

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina is not going to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D) for his Virginia Senate seat in 2018, she told TheStreet.com in an interview published Friday. "I can actually make a bigger impact not running for the Senate but ... lifting up leaders wherever they are," Fiorina said.

Fiorina formerly ran for Senate in California, where she was handily beaten by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010. Shortly afterward, Fiorina, her husband, and her dogs moved to Lorton, Virginia.

While Fiorina doesn't rule out returning to politics in the future, she said for the time being she will focus on chairing the Unlocking Potential Project, which aims to "develop and shape messaging on a wide range of issues that directly relate to independent female voters."

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Where Fiorina is now out, though, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) might be in. "I'm considering if I should pursue the candidacy [for the Senate seat]," Gilmore told CNN.