Stanford alum Fiorina ripped for backing Iowa in Rose Bowl as caucus looms

Published Jan. 1, 2016 8:29 p.m. ET

foxsports

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina’s football allegiances were tested on New Year’s Day when No. 6 Stanford faced No. 5 Iowa in the Rose Bowl.

Fiorina graduated from Stanford in 1976, but Iowa is an important state in the presidential nomination process. Fiorina decided to back the Hawkeyes ahead of the Feb. 1 caucus.

Love my alma mater, but rooting for a Hawkeyes win today. #RoseBowl
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) January 1, 2016

That tweet drew quite a bit of criticism:

In 11 words (and 1 hashtag), this Carly Fiorina tweet encapsulates everything people hate about politics. https://t.co/kOrCVWaXcf
— Mo Elleithee (@MoElleithee) January 1, 2016

Seriously??? Who does this??? And on top of the insult to your school, you think Iowans are that shallow?? #iacaucus https://t.co/DIs44hI6Eg
— Simon Conway (@SimonRadio1776) January 1, 2016

Phony pandering that is not going to yield the desired result. https://t.co/JEAGX7KNwF
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) January 1, 2016

Fiorina’s backing didn’t seem to help the Hawkeyes, though, as Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey torched Iowa early. And since Twitter rarely disappoints, a clever hashtag started.

#CarlyCurse currently trending in Iowa, California, and DC. #RoseBowl pic.twitter.com/cEE8E2kGDS
— Josh Falzone (@JoshFalzone) January 1, 2016

Iowa has 7% of the points, which is still enough to beat Carly Fiorina in the caucuses. https://t.co/xEgC0hdccC
— Wyeth Ruthven (@wyethwire) January 2, 2016

More from NESN.com: