HOW she lost is relevant. She lost because a huge number of people believe her record at HP means she doesn’t care about them - and yes, many folks in the US vote on that basis. Romney was a vastly superior businessman, with a great record in business, but he was hurt by his image - which was defined by the media.
I’m not a Trump fan, but his image is not defined by the media. Folks have seen him on TV for decades. He is obnoxious, but he is not cold. Carly comes across as cold, and her image WILL be defined by the media.
FWIW, I plan to vote for Cruz. If Carly won the nomination, I’d vote for her in the general. Same with Trump.
No.. it's a little more basic than that.
She and Meg Whitman lost their respective races because California's huge majority is democrat voters. Her record at HP was an afterthought; that campaign was a referendum on Boxer, and Cali voters had no intention to switching.