Stacey Abrams underscored the importance of Joe Biden leading a diverse ticket ahead of November’s general election.
“Women of color, particularly black women, are the strongest part of the Democratic Party, the most loyal,” Abrams told ABC’s The View on Wednesday.
She added, “But that loyalty isn’t simply how we vote: It’s how we work. And if we want to signal that that work will continue, that we’re going to reach not just to certain segments of our community but to the entire country, then we need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America.”
Abrams, the failed 2018 Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate and former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, has been openly campaigning to be Biden’s running mate.
Biden, himself a two-term vice president and a Delaware senator for 36 years, has promised to pick a woman but has stopped short of vowing to choose a minority woman.
On Wednesday, Abrams told The View co-host Sunny Hostin that she trusted Biden to “make a smart choice,” but while she appreciated how “he has lifted up women as being a necessary partner,” she shared Hostin’s concern about diversity.
Abrams isn’t the only woman publicly jostling for the 2020 Democratic vice presidential nomination. Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have said they would accept the role if Biden asked them to serve.
Abrams defended her overt campaign for the No. 2 spot on Wednesday, echoing Biden’s campaign slogan and responding to criticism that she lacks the national experience for the position.
“I try to be straightforward,” she said. “I learned early on that if I didn’t speak for myself, I didn’t tell the story.”
