Carly Fiorina & Her Husband Have A Sweet Story

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina is all business when it comes to her campaign. Following the second GOP debate, the former HP CEO has soared in popularity, ascending to second in a recent CNN/ORC poll released on Sunday. She was similarly no nonsense when working in the corporate world. Her commitment to her own professionalism is what ultimately led to her current marriage. How did Carly Fiorina and her husband meet? They were working alongside each other at AT&T, where Frank Fiorina had the ultimate pick-up line.

Frank told Bloomberg Business that, during their third dinner date, he told Carly she'd one day be running the company they both worked at. The two had met while Frank was in more of a management position and Carly was just entering the government communications department. She had an idea for conference call technology that was getting little attention. When no one else seemed to be listening, Frank was all ears and incredibly supportive; they went on their first date following the completion of the project that brought Carly's idea to reality and the two eventually married in 1985. Frank proposed to Carly with his daughters from a previous marriage both there in his car, showing his commitment to their family.

He showed that he was even further committed to Carly and his kids when he decided to retire at age 48 in the late '90s to become a stay-at-home dad while Carly continued her professional ascent. She went on to become hardware and systems senior vice president at AT&T in 1998. She was then poached by HP to run their company in 1999 and become the first female Fortune 50 CEO. Although Carly frequently touts her business acumen, she was ultimately fired by the technology company in 2005. All the while, Frank stood by her side.

As Carly remembers their early years, she thinks back to her time at AT&T. She was quoted during a New Hampshire campaign stop recalling how the two had met:

It was a long time ago in the technology world and there weren't that many people actually who took a young woman from the secretarial pool all that seriously. And he did — so I had to fall in love and marry him.

Frank, for his part, has been frequently quoted as saying he distinctly remembers not only telling Carly she'd one day lead AT&T but also that they also made out on their third date. Carly confirmed the latter detail during an interview on The Today Show, saying she remembered them fogging up the windows of his car — the vehicle that would set the scene for their engagement. The Fiorinas have been married for over three decades, and the two have a seriously strong bond that has transcended professional and personal difficulties. No matter where Carly ranks on the polls, Frank has stood by her side and will continue to do so.