Former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina announced Wednesday she is running for the chance to seize liberal stalwart Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat, depicting the three-term Democrat as a Capitol Hill do-nothing who penned novels while jobs vanished and government spending soared.

The former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO's entry into the race could present California's junior senator with her most formidable re-election challenge, but Fiorina first will have to survive what could become a scalding Republican primary against state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who has worked feverishly to court GOP voters.

Fiorina described herself Wednesday as a Republican devoted to low taxes and tightfisted budgets and "a political newcomer who actually knows how to get something done."

"What do you say that come next year, we give Barbara Boxer the chance to become a full-time novelist?" Fiorina told an invited audience in Orange County, a traditional GOP stronghold.

"Let's start with living within our means. The rest of us do. Why not Washington?" she asked. She promised not to support higher taxes until Congress learns to spend responsibly.

Fiorina's announcement comes a day after Republicans took control of governors' seats from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, but Fiorina did not allude to those contests.