Carly’s Empty Victories

Every time Carly Fiorina debates her rivals, her “victories” and her “passion” are feted in the press. But whatever impression she is leaving with voters is not sticking.

After a pair of highly regarded debate performances that vaulted the former Hewlett-Packard CEO into double digits in a number of national surveys, two polls conducted this month put her at 6 percent among Republicans; one put her at 5 percent.

Related: Fiorina Defies the Kochs

Those results have some experts wondering if she has the power to contend for the Republican presidential nomination.

“She’s good at self-presentation but not as good on follow-through and implementation,” said Bruce Buchanan, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “She has to develop a reputation that she can follow through on what is perceived to be a good debate performance.”

The Fiorina campaign pointed to recent polls placing her in third place in Iowa and second place in New Hampshire as signs that she is on track.

“We’re very happy with where we are as we continue to introduce voters to Carly,” campaign spokeswoman Anna Epstein told LifeZette via email.

“Fiorina hasn’t been able to draw news coverage like Trump or Carson.”

“Fiorina hasn’t been able to draw news coverage like Trump or Carson,” noted Wayne Steger, a professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

But other experts said Fiorina is well-positioned to make a credible run at the nomination.

“There are some other non-polling signs that are positive,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “She’s come a long way over where she was.”

Kondik pointed to endorsements from current Republican officeholders — including three members of Congress — that Fiorina has scored since the second GOP debate last month, as well as a respectable fundraising haul in the third quarter.

Related: Is Carly Conservative?

The campaign reported this week that it raised $6.8 million from July through September and has $5.5 million in the bank. Kondik noted that she outraised Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose campaign collected $6 million during the same time period. Kondik said Fiorina has a plausible path to the nomination as an outsider who could be acceptable enough to win establishment support.

Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said polls three or four months before the state’s first-in-the-nation primary are notoriously unreliable.

“You gotta remember that none of the polling you’re seeing is indicative of what is going to happen in February,” he said. “It’s more a reflection of media buzz.”

Nevertheless, something appears to be wrong. Fiorina had more publicity than a candidate could dream of after scoring two debate wins and taking on Planned Parenthood. Her poll numbers spiked, then dropped.

She will soon need to ensure that the next time popularity rains down on her, it doesn’t simply flow away.