Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams offered her formal endorsement of presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday morning:
.@JoeBiden is the leader America needs. I look forward to continuing my strong support for his candidacy and doing all I can to make sure he is elected this November. pic.twitter.com/2FA5AHjZzQ
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) May 12, 2020
Abrams is said to be under consideration for a vice presidential tap, and has made it clear that she thinks that her presence on Biden’s ticket is the best-case scenario:
“I would be an excellent running mate. I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities,” she said in April.
Abrams’ political accomplishments are severely limited, having only been elected to Georgia’s state legislature. For Biden to pick Abrams would leave the Democratic nominee with a vice presidential candidate with virtually no political experience; Abrams elected not to run for either of Georgia’s open Senate seats, making her higher ambitions clear.
The Georgia Democrat also emerged as one of Biden's defenders against the allegations of sexual assault coming from former Biden aide Tara Reade, claiming that she believes the former vice president's innocence and does not find Reade to be credible:
Video: On CNN, Stacey Abrams bashes Tara Reade -- "I believe that women deserve to be heard....But I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources. The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible" pic.twitter.com/mi1QwJfiME
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 29, 2020
If this defense does not make Abrams' vice presidential hopes clear, nothing will; her defense of Biden is a complete pivot from her rhetoric against then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who faced allegations that were less credible, unsubstantiated and uncorroborated. Abrams claimed that Kavanaugh was in the middle of a job interview during his confirmation to the highest court, but turns the other way as Biden, who is seeking the most powerful office, is accused of sexual misconduct.
A Supreme Court hearing is a job interview for one of the most critical roles in our democracy; if there is even a hint of impropriety—let alone the credible allegations bravely brought forward by Dr. Ford—we should pause and thoroughly investigate them, rather than rush forward.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) September 28, 2018
An Abrams pick would also bring identity politics to Biden's ticket. The Georgia Democrat gained her name recognition during her 2018 gubernatorial run against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R); rather than concede her defeat to Gov. Kemp, Abrams credited her loss to "voter suppression" and deemed Republicans as racist for recognizing Kemp as governor.
While Biden has made no decision on his running mate selection, Abrams will join the former vice president on MSNBC with Lawrence O’Donnell:
Looking forward to a special discussion with @JoeBiden and @Lawrence on #LastWord this Thursday evening. pic.twitter.com/3jryyfKkoD
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) May 12, 2020