Stacey Abrams Is 'Willing' to Be Joe Biden's Running Mate

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has verbally committed to picking a woman as his running mate - although he has not yet indicated who that person will be. Reports suggest that the 77-year-old is looking for a younger vice-president, someone he sees as "capable" of stepping into his role "on day one," should it wind up vacant for whatever reason. One name that has been floating around for months now: Stacey Abrams, who said Sunday that she's up for the task.

"As a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn't speak up for myself, no one else would," the Georgia politician said on NBC's Meet the Press, according to Politico. "So ... my mission is to say out loud if I'm asked the question, 'Yes, I would be willing to serve.'"

Abrams - who ran for governor of Georgia in 2018, after serving in the state House of Representatives for 10 years - also noted that "there is a process that will be played out" before Biden names his pick. But Abrams has been frank about her readiness to run as vice-president if asked, telling the New York Times last summer that she "would be honored to be considered by any nominee." And in a separate Sunday appearance, on CNN's State of the Union, she reiterated:

I've been asked this question [about potential V.P. candidacy] since last year. I was brought into the national conversation, and I've been very honest about my willingness to serve. As a young black woman growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if you don't raise your hand, people won't see you and they won't give you attention. But it's not about attention for being the running mate. It is about making sure my qualifications aren't in question. Because they're not just speaking to me, they're speaking to young black women, young women of color, young people of color, who wonder if they too can be seen.

Stacey Abrams on her ambitions to be Joe Biden's running mate: "As a young black woman growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if you don't raise your hand, people won't see you and they won't give you attention" https://t.co/q9q0Rkiy84 #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/pnUaHIXSuq

- State of the Union (@CNNSotu) April 26, 2020

Since she lost her gubernatorial race, by a small and contested margin, to Brian Kemp, Abrams has been working to combat voter suppression (which, it has been alleged, may have played a decisive role in Kemp's election, although he denies it) with her Fair Fight 2020 initiative. According to one March poll, she may well be Biden's strongest potential running mate, and Abrams says she has the relevant credentials to do the job. "I believe in doing the work," she said on Meet the Press. "I've been doing it since the day I did not become governor and I will continue to do so. And I do so at a national level."