Stacey Abrams Asserts Her Desire To Be Chosen as VP, Admits It Is 'Really Obnoxious for Me To Say That'
Democrat Stacey Abrams said Monday is willing to be obnoxious in her quest for the vice presidency, which she painted as a form of community service for all minorities.
Abrams ran for the governorship of Georgia in 2018, but lost to Republican Brian Kemp in a hard-fought contest that she claimed “was a stolen election.”
Last August, Abrams said she was not running for president, but was interested in being vice president, The New York Times reported.
Former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has floated Abrams as among the vice presidential candidates he might consider, according to The Des Moines Register.
I don’t believe for a minute the Drudge that Bloomberg is considering Hillary Clinton as a running mate. My own senior source tells me Stacey Abrams is a favorite.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) February 15, 2020
On Monday, Abrams appeared on ABC’s “The View,” where she was asked about her Washington ambitions.
“So today, today is Presidents Day, and while you’re not running at the moment, at this very second you’re not running, a lot of people want to see you on that ticket first as vice president,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said. “And you said that any Democratic candidate can come and talk to you about being VP. Explain to people why you say this.”
Abrams noted that she had previously said “you don’t run for second in a primary.”
“However, because that conversation started, I’m now getting the question a lot from folks, and the answer is of course I would be honored to run for vice president with the nominee,” she said.
“It’s a bit disconcerting because it seems really obnoxious for me to say that out loud since no one’s asked me,” Abrams added.
Abrams then said her circumstances are unique because she is black.
“As a woman of color, especially as a black woman, this is an unusual position to be in for someone to be considered possibly the next vice president,” she said.
She said that seeking the post was tantamount to a public duty.
“It would be doing a disservice to every woman of color, every woman of ambition, every child who wants to think beyond their known space for me to say no or to pretend, oh, no, I don’t want it,” Abrams said.
Abrams then made her ambitions very clear.
“Of course I want it. Of course I want to serve America. Of course I want to be a patriot and do this work, so I say yes,” she said.
She further added that she will, at a later date, seek the presidency.
In August, she told The Times, “I don’t believe standing for office is something that you do simply because the office is available. I need to know that it’s the best choice and it’s the best role for me to play.”
“But as I think about my next step, my first responsibility is to ensure that when the primary is done — when the nominee decides to choose their running mate — that they are choosing based on knowing that we are in a country where we have built the infrastructure in those battleground states. And that I’ve done my part,” Abrams said.
She explained her efforts are currently designed to fight against Senate Republicans and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying she wanted to use the Democratic primary “as an opportunity to build the apparatus to fight voter suppression. Because in the end, no matter where I fit, no matter which ones of our nominees win, if we haven’t fought this scourge, if we haven’t pushed back against Moscow Mitch and his determination to block any legislation that would cure our voting machines, then we are all in a world of trouble.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
