On Thursday morning, media reports claimed former Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to announce his 2020 presidential bid any day now, will do so as in a “packaged” deal, with his number two likely being failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
“Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president,” reported Axios.
The New York Times published a similar report concerning a Biden/Abrams ticket, though the outlet noted that other young Democrats’ names are still being shopped around for the full-ticket announcement, such as Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and failed Senate candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke.
The Times reports that Biden and Abrams had lunch together in Washington last week, though “advisers to both declined to say if he had broached the subject of the vice presidency.”
“Aides to Mr. Biden who spoke to him after the lunch said he told them he found Ms. Abrams ‘incredibly impressive,'” the report added.
An Abrams-pick for VP would clearly be a way for Biden to add to his ticket some much sought after racial and gender diversity, which is weighty currency to Democrat officials. For example, 2020 hopeful O’Rourke already made it clear that it is his “preference” to have a female VP ticket if he were to get the Democrat nomination.
Racial activist Al Sharpton, for example, told Axios that the “Abrams move could help Biden by mitigating objections to his treatment of Anita Hill during Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation.” And the Times notes, “With a younger but still accomplished vice-presidential nominee at his side, Mr. Biden could hope to demonstrate his commitment to diversity and to restoring stability to Washington.”
Additionally, Abrams is just 45 years old, 31 years younger than Biden, who is 76.
Biden’s advanced age might be addressed by pledging that he’ll only serve one term in the White House if elected, an idea the Times reports is “under discussion” according to “multiple party officials.”
An Abrams pick comes with risks, of course. As noted by Axios, some opposed advisers worry the announced VP-pick could feel gimmicky. Moreover, the Georgia Democrat has no experience in politics outside of being a state representative — not that a lack of experience is always harmful, as evidenced in both 2008 and 2016.
As reported by The Daily Wire on Wednesday, Abrams has yet to acknowledge that she was defeated some four months ago, and suggested she was once “plotting” some form of “revenge.”
“I don’t concede that I lost. I acknowledge that I’m not the governor of Georgia,” Abrams reportedly said during a lecture at Vanderbilt University on Tuesday. “That’s made plain every day I don’t walk into the Governor’s Mansion.”
“I could fight just to fight, but the minute it becomes about me, it becomes a vanity project,” she added. “That can’t be the reason you do things. And I spent that 10-day period plotting. Revenge can be very cathartic.”