Breaking up the men’s club

Virginia Republican Carly Fiorina made up for lost time Wednesday night.

She was a late addition to a Republican primary debate hosted by CNN and Salem Media Group, and she only qualified Sept. 1 because CNN revised its rules to reflect her recent support.

Before the change, CNN relied on polls from as far back as July 16 to choose what was originally a field of 10 for the candidates’ second debate.

Fiorina’s strong showing in the Aug. 6 preliminary debate stirred support for the former technology executive. And Fiorina easily made the top 10 in recent polls, only a few percentage points behind Florida Republicans Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

She made the most of the opportunity, chiding frontrunner Donald Trump of New York and drawing more camera time than any candidate but Trump and Bush.

Fiorina is a newcomer to the presidential race but not to politics, with a U.S. Senate campaign in California in her past.

It is notable that at the debate Wednesday night in California she addressed the frontrunner as “Mr. Trump” and he referred to her as “Carly.”

Mrs. Fiorina deserves more respect, and so will the other women running for higher office for years to come.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Breaking up the men’s club."