Stacey Abrams
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bustle)
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bustle)
The political and civic leader candidly speaks on what makes her qualified to serve.
Back in January, Stacey Abrams publicly spoke on her future in politics, she even opened up about seeing herself as president by 2040. Now, she’s ambitiously announced she’d be the perfect running mate for Joe Biden.
In a new ELLE feature, in conversation with Melissa Harris-Perry, Abrams candidly breaks down why she’s the right choice for the political role. With COVID-19 cases in the U.S. on the rise and deaths also rising, there’s no time like the present for Abrams to make her qualifications clear.
This interview is a month after Biden declared in a debate that he’d select a woman as his running mate. According to ELLE, a week after the debate, Way to Win, a progressive strategy network dropped survey data declaring Abrams as the right choice. Abrams is a proud graduate of Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin, and Yale Law School. Besides her schooling, she was the first African American to lead the Georgia House of Representatives.
A major moment for Abrams came when she ran an unsuccessful campaign in an attempt to become America’s first black female governor in 2018. Issues with voting were exposed during this tumultuous race. As a result, she founded Fair Fight to continue to ensure fair voting on a national level.
When asked if she would accept the offer to serve as Joe Biden’s running mate:
“I would be an excellent running mate. I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities. I have a strong history of executive and management experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. I’ve spent 25 years in independent study of foreign policy. I am ready to help advance an agenda of restoring America’s place in the world. If I am selected, I am prepared and excited to serve.”
On what she’s learned from losing the Georgia gubernatorial race:
“I’ve learned that failure is not permanent. My responsibility is to not let failure dissuade me from my core obligations. Sometimes we pursue a challenge thinking it is about our victory, but we don’t know the true purpose until later. Not becoming governor of one state gave me the opportunity to launch a national network in 20 states [to fight for fair elections]. We are helping reform democracy in places where it was broken and battered.”
Abrams has also stepped up in recent months and launched the Southern Economic Advancement Project. Since March 2019, SEAP has been addressing issues including economic prosperity, healthcare, transportation, children and youth by creating somewhat of a bridge between existing programs and additional resources. According to a press release, the project manages to implement initiatives due to microgrants and policy research.
Source: ELLE
