Stacey Abrams signals 'concern' if Biden's VP pick isn't a woman of color
Stacey Abrams said Wednesday that former Vice President Joe Biden should pick a woman of color to be his running mate in November.
Last month during the final Democratic primary debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden committed to selecting a female running mate. The former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee has further indicated he might seek out a woman of color to join his ticket.
In an interview on ABC’s “The View,” host Sunny Hostin asked Abrams, the former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee, if Biden not picking a woman of color would amount to “a slap in the face” to black voters who made up the backbone of his primary support and were critical to his come-from-behind victory in the primary.
Abrams, who is black, initially sidestepped that charge, telling Hostin that “I think Vice President Biden is going to make a smart choice, and I appreciate the fact that he has lifted up women as being a necessary partner in this.”
Still, she continued, “I would share your concern about not picking a woman of color because women of color — particularly black women — are the strongest part of the Democratic Party, the most loyal, 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.”
Biden said late Tuesday his campaign plans to announce the members of his vice presidential selection committee, who will begin interviewing and vetting potential picks, by May 1.