Ted Cruz Wednesday named Carly Fiorina as his running mate should he win the Republican presidential nomination — but pollster Matt Towery told Newsmax that it was a "desperate" move that was "a bit gimmicky" and made it appear that the Texas senator was throwing "the kitchen sink" at front-runner Donald Trump.
"I just don’t think it’s going to work," he said in an interview. "It probably would’ve been better had he waited until after Indiana."
The Hooiser State holds its primary on Tuesday, carrying 57 delegates. Early polls show Trump leading Cruz in the state.
"If he won Indiana I can certainly understand why," Towery told Newsmax. "I can understand why he’s doing it.
"He thinks Trump has a 'problem with female voters' — and he’s going to argue that she solves that problem and that she will make the Republican Party more inclusive.
"It’s not a bad pick and it’s probably something the Republican Party should do," Towery added, "but the timing of it while they think it’s great, I think it’s not good."
Cruz argued that
Fiorina, 61, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., would be a valuable ally on the campaign trail.
"She is careful. She is measured," he said. "She is serious. She doesn't get rattled."
Fiorina dropped her own bid for the nomination in February and endorsed Cruz shortly thereafter.
The move came after Cruz's abysmal showing in five Northeastern primaries on Tuesday — where he finished behind victories by Trump and second-place showings by John Kasich.
Cruz's announcement also came as Trump
delivered a major foreign policy speech in Washington, calling for an "America first" policy that would create a stronger nation both financially and militarily.
Noting the failed Cruz-Kasich alliance earlier this week, Towery told Newsmax: "Now, you have a situation where it looks like there’s another gimmick being pulled out at the 11th hour because it doesn’t look good for Cruz."
By naming Fiorina so early in the process, "whoever wants to defeat you has two candidates to attack rather than one.
"Anything that Mrs. Fiorina has said, done — whatever — now, all of a sudden, that becomes an issue as well.
"I think Ted Cruz is a smart man," Towery added. "I think he’s running as smart race as he can — and he’s throwing everything but the kitchen sink out.
"But this might literally be the kitchen sink."