Now we know why failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams blitzed newsrooms this week.
She is auditioning to serve as vice president to whichever 2020 Democratic primary campaign makes her the most attractive offer.
“I would be honored to be considered by any nominee,” she said in an interview published Wednesday by the New York Times.
She said earlier during an address Tuesday at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades convention in Las Vegas, “There are only two things stopping us in 2020: that people have a reason to vote, and that they have the right to vote. I’ve decided to leave it to a whole bunch of other people to make sure they have a reason to vote.”
Almost immediately after Abrams announced she would not run in 2020, several Democratic primary candidates lined up to thank her for her service, to congratulate her for being a leader, and to send out none-too-subtle VP feelers.
“We can’t solve any of the challenges we face — from health care to gun violence to climate change — without fixing our democracy. Thank you, [Stacey Abrams], for your leadership,” former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said on social media.
Sen. Kamala Harris said later in a radio interview, “I am a big fan of Stacy Abrams. I came down to Georgia to campaign for her, and she would definitely and should be on anybody’s list, including mine, but I got to win it first before I have that conversation.”
Prior to having her noncandidacy reported eagerly by the New York Times, Abrams’ team made sure that the way was paved first with exceptionally deferential media profiles and softball media interviews. Just this week alone, Abrams starred in a glowing New Yorker profile, a glowing Vogue profile, a glowing New York Times op-ed, a glowing Washington Post news report, and several friendly appearances on cable news.
Abrams announcement this week that she is open to serving as vice president, after saying the exact opposite in March, has been greeted with predictable giddiness by some of the #Resistance regulars.
“YIPEEE!!!” tweeted the Washington Post’s self-declared conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin.
“A ticket of [Kamala Harris] and [Stacey Abrams]?” asked Columbia professor and Foreign Policy contributor David Rothkopf. “They wouldn’t just beat Trump. He’d turn to dust the moment he heard that was the ticket. It’s a whole different world, folks. They would obliterate him. And we would all be the beneficiaries.”
Sure thing.
As best I can tell, excitement for Abrams comes primarily from the press and politicos. Admiration for the failed gubernatorial candidate does not appear to extend too far beyond these circles. In fact, her overall approval rating in her own state, where she lost her gubernatorial bid by tens of thousands of votes, last measured at roughly 44%, down from 51% in January, according to a survey released in April by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The survey, which was conducted between March 24 and April 8 and surveyed 774 registered voters in Georgia, also found her disapproval number in the state increased in that same time period from 40% to 44%.
These are not terrible numbers, but this is not exactly rock star material either.
All of this is to say: The hype surrounding Abrams possibly joining a 2020 Democratic campaign as a vice presidential candidate may be in the heads of the same members of the press who are all too eager to overlook her failures while also indulging her in her election-truther conspiracies.
And if you are wondering how press-generated excitement has worked out in the past for Democratic media darlings, look no further than failed Georgia congressional candidate Jon Ossoff, failed Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, failed Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, and failed Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke.
