Susan Rice Says Kamala Harris Is ‘Going To Make A Tremendous Running Mate For Joe Biden’
In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, former national security adviser Susan Rice discussed Joe Biden’s decision to pick California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2020 presidential election, The Hill reported.
Speaking with NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, Rice said that Harris is a “great choice” and predicted that Biden will beat President Donald Trump in November.
“She’s going to make a tremendous running mate for Joe Biden. I’m very confident that the Biden-Harris ticket will be a winning one.”
Rice stressed she was “honored and humbled” to have been considered by Team Biden, vowing to do all she can to help the Democratic Party win.
“I’ll do everything I possibly can to help Joe Biden become the next president of the United States and to help him succeed in governing in whatever form of fashion he wants,” she said.
Indeed, Biden’s team reportedly vetted Rice for the position. His campaign was reportedly looking to select someone with extensive experience in government to lead the nation amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Rice worked on Michael Dukakis’s 1988 White House Bid, on John Kerry’s 2004 campaign, served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations and worked in the Obama administration.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was also considered a top contender for the vice-presidential spot on the ticket, but ultimately, Biden chose Harris.
The California senator will be the first woman of color on a major party ticket.
“Black women are the backbone of the nation, not just the Democratic Party,” Rice told NBC News.
Rice added that Trump and his allies are likely to smear Harris as a “socialist” candidate, but noted that neither Biden nor Harris are left-wing politicians.
“They have been set up to position their assault on whoever was to be the vice presidential select as left and socialist. It’s not true,” she said.
The former Delaware senator announced Harris — herself a former White House hopeful — as his running mate on Tuesday.
During the primaries, the two Democrats sparred on the debate stage. Notably, in June 2019, Harris slammed the former Delaware senator for bragging about maintaining “civil” relationships with segregationist senators.
Biden was allegedly “stung” by the attacks, but the two politicians now appear to have put their differences aside.
According to polling from YouGov and The Economist, 51 percent of Biden supporters believe Harris will improve his chances of winning in November.
Overall, 68 percent of Democratic voters have a favorable opinion of Harris, while 18 percent do not.
