Susan Rice touts her experience, support for Joe Biden as he seeks black female running mate

Susan Rice, former President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, touted her experience in government and presidential campaigns on Sunday as former Vice President Joe Biden is a few weeks away from announcing a running mate.

Biden, the likely Democratic nominee to face President Donald Trump, has pledged to choose a woman candidate, and Rice’s name has risen on the list of potential partners on the ticket. Before becoming White House national security adviser, Rice served as Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations and held roles in the Clinton administration State Department and National Security Council.

But Andrea Mitchell of NBC’s “Meet the Press” asked Rice what she would say to Americans who may have concerns voting for someone without experience in politics.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Rice said. “Joe Biden needs to make the decision as to who he thinks will be his best running mate. I will do my utmost, drawing on my experience of years in government, years of making the bureaucracy work.”

Rice noted she’d worked on several national campaigns as a surrogate, including presidential campaigns.

The interview with Rice, who is African American, comes as many call on Biden to choose a Black female candidate for the ticket in the wake of nationwide protests over generations of systemic discrimination following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help get Joe Biden elected, and to help him succeed as president, whether I’m his running mate or door knocker,” she said. “We are at a moment where our democracy is at stake, where our leadership role in the world is at stake.”

Rice mentioned the coronavirus pandemic, arguing “the lives of tens of thousands of Americans are on the line, lost to incompetence and callous leadership. We’ve got to change that. This country is a tremendous place but we have work to do to perfect it. We have work to do to unite it.”

Biden has said he will pick a running mate by Aug. 1.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who ended her White House bid in early March, is also under consideration. Warren in April told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that she would agree to run for vice president if Biden asked her.