Fiorina to launch presidential bid on May 4

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina plans to announce her White House campaign on May 4, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Sources close to the Republican told the paper she is expected to announce her candidacy online and then hold a conference call for the national press.

Fiorina will skip the states with early nominating contests for an appearance in New York that Monday. She then plans on speaking at Techcrunch’s Disrupt NY 2015 conference the following day.

That event coincides with the release of her new book and several cable TV interviews as well, the Journal added.

Requests for comment from Fiorina’s representatives were not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a Detroit native, also plans on announcing his Oval Office bid in the Motor City that day.

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), meanwhile, has eyed May 5 as the date for making a decision on a presidential run. The former governor has scheduled an event in Hope, Ark., for his announcement.

Fiorina’s campaign unveiling is unusual in that it avoids the pomp-and-circumstance typical of the events. The GOP’s three official candidates thus far — Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) — each staged intricate events for launching their campaigns.

Fiorina’s first early-state appearance would then take place in West Des Moines, Iowa, at an event for the Dallas County GOP on May 7. From there, the ex-CEO will venture to New Hampshire’s High Tech summit in Manchester. She finishes her trip to the Granite State with a May 9 address at Southern New Hampshire University, where she will serve as the school’s commencement speaker on its Manchester campus.

Her announcement would make Fiorina the first female Republican competing in the 2016 election cycle. She could serve as a foil for Hillary Clinton, the Democrat’s only official candidate and a heavy frontrunner for their party nomination.