Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams revealed on Wednesday that she is now open to joining the top of the ticket with any of the Democratic presidential contenders, despite previously proclaiming that she doesn’t “run for second place.”
“I would be honored to be considered by any nominee,” Abrams told The New York Times when asked about the potential of being selected as a vice presidential candidate.
Abrams, however, had notably rebuffed an offer from former Vice President Joe Biden after reports circulated in March that his top campaign advisors discussed selecting Abrams in an attempt to illustrate that Biden “isn’t just another old white guy.”
The former Georgia lawmaker swiftly shot down the idea of sharing the top of the ticket with another individual, stating that “you don’t run for second place.”
Abrams has consistently maintained that she wants to advance her political career and mulled over a number of options, including a second Georgia gubernatorial run in 2022, as well as a Senate or presidential run in 2020.
Abrams ruled out a Senate run in April, and subsequently announced on Tuesday that she would be abstaining from kicking off her own presidential run in favor of focusing her efforts on preventing voter suppression in the upcoming 2020 election.
Accordingly, Abrams launched a new initiative called Fair Fight 2020. The organization is billed as a fighter for “free, fair, and secure elections,” though its goal is also to elect Democratic lawmakers. Fair Fight 2020 will only be working with Democratic state parties or local allies across the country, according to its website.
“If we start early and work together, we will ensure that every American voter’s voice is heard and that Democrats up and down the ballot will win,” the Fair Fight 2020 website reads.
The initiative is seemingly an extension of Fair Fight Action, which was launched by Abrams after her loss to now-Gov. Brian Kemp to “pursue accountability in Georgia’s elections and integrity in the process of maintaining our voter rolls,” according to a press release.
Fair Fight Action sued the state of Georgia only two weeks after Abrams’ failed gubernatorial bid, alleging widespread voter suppression. However, the lawsuit condemns legislation that Abrams herself helped pass while she was a member of the Georgia State Assembly. The lawsuit is still ongoing.
Abrams and her campaign have been routinely accusing Kemp of “racist” voter suppression going back even prior to Election Day. Kemp handily won the statewide election by more than 50,000 votes, and there has been no evidence to corroborate the claims.
“My responsibility is to focus on the primary. And that means using the primary as an opportunity to build the apparatus to fight voter suppression,” Abrams told the Times. “Because in the end, no matter where I fit, no matter which ones of our nominees win, if we haven’t fought this scourge, if we haven’t pushed back against Moscow Mitch and his determination to block any legislation that would cure our voting machines, then we are all in a world of trouble.”