Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams says she would be “honored” to be chosen as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate.
“I would be an excellent running mate,” Abrams told Elle magazine in an interview published Wednesday.
“I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities,” Abrams said. “I have a strong history of executive and management experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. I’ve spent 25 years in independent study of foreign policy. I am ready to help advance an agenda of restoring America’s place in the world. If I am selected, I am prepared and excited to serve.”
Abrams’ public and direct pitch for the position is unconventional; vice presidential prospects in the past have typically been more guarded when asked about being chosen for the role.
Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate, and has mentioned Abrams on the campaign trail in conversations about a potential vice presidential pick. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, an influential congressman and third highest-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, has urged Biden to choose an African-American woman as his running mate.
Abrams, a former Georgia state House minority leader, rose to national prominence in 2018 during a closely fought gubernatorial bid against Republican Brian Kemp. Abrams, who would have been the first African-American woman ever elected governor, narrowly lost the race.
Abrams refused to concede the race initially, but eventually acknowledged defeat. She has said consistently in the months after that she believes it “was a stolen election” due in part to how the election was conducted – a process overseen by Kemp, who was Georgia’s secretary of state at the time.
Abrams has made clear her presidential ambitions. Abrams said in an interview with FiveThirtyEight that she thinks she will be elected president of the United States in the next 20 years. Abrams teased a run for president in the 2020 race, but ruled it out in August to focus on her national program, Fair Fight 2020, aimed at increasing Democratic voter turnout.
In the interview with Elle, Abrams said she understands the role of the vice president. She described it as “chief lieutenant and partner by taking on the roles and responsibilities assigned to you by the president.”
“I am very self-aware, and I know that my résumé … is usually reduced to ‘She didn’t become the governor of Georgia.’ But it is important to understand all the things I did to prepare for that contest. That campaign was not a whim. It was the outcome of decades of deliberate work building my capacity to serve as many people as I could, in the most effective way possible,” Abrams said.
“My responsibility is to be ready to do the job – to have the core capacities that are embedded in the role. I am able to stand effectively as a partner, to execute a vision, and to serve the vision of the president,” Abrams continued.
In addition to Abrams, Biden on the campaign trail has expressed openness to choosing one of his former 2020 rivals, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, California Sen. Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. All three have endorsed Biden for president.
Biden has also mentioned New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates in conversations about a potential vice presidential pick.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.