Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Wednesday threw cold water on the idea that she could enter the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race as former Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s running mate.
“I think you don’t run for second place,” Ms. Abrams said on ABC’s “The View.”
Mr. Biden has yet to declare his candidacy. But the website Axios reported last week that close advisers to Mr. Biden were considering whether he should enter the presidential race with a pledge to pick Ms. Abrams as his vice president in an attempt to bolster his bid.
On Wednesday, Ms. Abrams said that won’t happen.
“If I am going to enter a primary, than I am going to enter a primary, and if I don’t enter the primary, my job is to make certain that the best Democrat becomes the nominee and whoever wins the primary, that we make sure that person gets elected in 2020,” she said.
But she didn’t rule out serving as Mr. Biden’s running mate if he were to win the Democratic nomination contest.
“Running in a primary to be vice president is very different than someone who has been selected by the party to be the nominee asking you to serve as a partner, and I am open to all options,” Ms. Abrams said.
Ms. Abrams’ stock has been on the rise since she came within 2 percentage points last fall of defeating Republican Brian Kemp and becoming the nation’s first black female governor.
Ms. Abrams said she’s entertaining a presidential bid, running against Republican Sen. David Perdue in 2020 and taking another crack at governor in 2022.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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