Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Former Obama national security adviser says she would ‘certainly say yes’ to being Biden’s vice president

"I'm humbled and honoured to be among the extremely accomplished women who are reportedly being considered in that regard," Susan Rice says

Danielle Zoellner
Friday 15 May 2020 17:19 BST
Comments
Obama's former security adviser Susan Rice says she would say 'yes' to being Biden's running mate

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said she would "certainly say yes" if asked to be Joe Biden's running mate for the 2020 election.

"I'm humbled and honoured to be among the extremely accomplished women who are reportedly being considered in that regard," Ms Rice told PBS on Thursday. "I know Joe Biden well. I've worked with him very closely. I know he'll be a great president of the United States."

Ms Rice committed to "doing all" she could to help the former vice president unseat Donald Trump come November after previously working alongside him for the Obama administration.

So when she was asked if she would accept the vice president nomination, Ms Rice said: "I would certainly yes."

"Should I say no?" Ms Rice added. "You know, I think everybody who's been asked that question has given the same answer. So that's not a surprise."

Although she showed interest in the position, Ms Rice added her first priority was helping Mr Biden win the election, whether he picked her as his running mate or not.

"It's not about me. It's not about my ambitions," she said.

At the start of the search for vice president, Mr Biden vowed he would select a female running mate to join him on the ticket.

The list of potential vice president candidates, which reportedly included Ms Rice, also named Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was Democrat's top choice, according to a CBS News' poll. Following Ms Warren was California Senator Kamala Harris.

Ms Rice was tied for sixth place in the poll alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, one of the state governor's making headlines for her battle with the state's Republican-led legislature to maintain stay-at-home measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Another notable name was Stacey Abrams of Georgia, who gained notoriety from her run for in 2016 gubernatorial election.

The Biden campaign has not indicated when it would announce who would run alongside the former vice president.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in