Journalist Zaid Jilani said most news outlets have been covering Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, as if it’s “celebrity news.”
“For the most part they kind of just take her words and presentation and present it as fact. That’s not typically how you should be doing political reporting,” Jilani said Monday in an interview Monday with The Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
Jilani discussed some of Abrams’s record during her time in the Georgia state House. She also ran for governor in 2018, losing narrowly to now-Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
“Her policy record is never really discussed and her ideology is never really discussed. And honestly, I find that to be a little respectful to her because I think just seeing her as an archetype of demographics, just as a celebrity, is somewhat tokenizing. It doesn’t respect her approach to politics,” Jilani said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has yet to pick a running mate but he has pledged to choose a woman for the ticket.
Abrams has advocated for herself to fill the position.
She is currently focussing on fighting voter suppression ahead of the November election as part of her Fair Fight 2020 initiative.
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