Is Carly Fiorina eyeing a bid for RNC chair?

Is Carly Fiorina thinking about running for Republican National Committee chair?

The former Hewlett-Packard chief, who recently lost her bid to unseat California Sen. Barbara Boxer, is the latest name to be floated among Republicans looking to replace embattled chairman Michael Steele. But it's unclear if Fiorina, who chaired the RNC's Victory Committee in 2008, is actually interested.

The former Senate candidate did not return calls seeking comment. When asked about the race by the San Jose Mercury News, Julie Soderlund, a Fiorina spokeswoman, played coy on her boss's future, saying that Fiorina was still "in the process of exploring what her options might be to stay engaged in the issues she's passionate about." Yet the National Review's Jim Geraghty hears the Fiorina speculation is "misplaced."

Either way, it's hard to see a path for Fiorina to win the GOP chair. On one hand, Fiorina was widely praised for her ability to bring in cash for Republicans in 2008 — a credential that one can't exactly overlook amid the RNC's serious financial woes under Steele. Yet a Fiorina candidacy likely wouldn't sit well with RNC members who believe the party should be moving more to the right, especially on social issues, and less toward the middle.

While Fiorina took more conservative positions in her Senate bid — especially on issues like abortion — she was once viewed as a moderate and during her time at the RNC led the party's appeals to pro-choice women. Those past statements — combined with her loss to Boxer — likely wouldn't help her cause in an increasingly crowded field of Republicans looking to challenge Steele and take over the party in 2012.

(Photo of Fiorina by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)