Editing Condoleezza Rice (section)

===Speculation on political future===
[[File:Secretary Blinken Talks With Former Secretary of State Rice (52436440128).jpg|thumb|Rice speaks with Secretary of State [[Antony Blinken]] at Stanford University in 2022]]
As early as 2003, there were reports that Rice was considering a run for [[governor of California]], while ruling out running for the Senate in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Security-adviser-Rice-weighs-run-for-governor-2631745.php |last=Marinucci |first=Carla |title=Security adviser Rice weighs run for governor |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=February 27, 2003 |access-date=May 27, 2019 |archive-date=August 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823023107/https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Security-adviser-Rice-weighs-run-for-governor-2631745.php |url-status=live }}</ref> There was also speculation that Rice would run for the Republican nomination in the 2008 primaries, which she ruled out on ''[[Meet the Press]]''. On February 22, 2008, Rice played down any suggestion that she may be on the Republican vice presidential ticket: "I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States."<ref>{{cite news |title=Rice says has no plan to run for vice president |date=February 22, 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=March 28, 2008 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2262518020080222?rpc=22&sp=true |quote=I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122032607/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2262518020080222?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&rpc=22&sp=true |archive-date=January 22, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During an interview with the editorial board of ''[[The Washington Times]]'' on March 27, 2008, Rice said she was "not interested" in running for vice president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Transcript of Secretary Condoleezza Rice's Interview with the Washington Times Editorial Board |work=The Washington Times |publisher=United States Department of State |date=March 28, 2008 |access-date=March 28, 2008 |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/rm/2008/03/102757.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205075814/http://2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/rm/2008/03/102757.htm |archive-date=February 5, 2009 |url-status=live }}Question: "And would you consider vice president?" Rice: "Not interested."</ref> In a [[Gallup poll]] from March 24 to 27, 2008, Rice was mentioned by eight percent of Republican respondents to be their first choice to be [[John McCain]]'s Republican vice presidential running mate, slightly behind [[Mike Huckabee]] and [[Mitt Romney]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/04/gallup_polls_on_gop_vp_prefere.html |title=Gallup Polls on GOP VP Preferences |work=[[RealClearPolitics]] |date=April 4, 2008 |access-date=September 12, 2018 |archive-date=August 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823023027/https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/04/gallup_polls_on_gop_vp_prefere.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Republican strategist [[Dan Senor]] said on ABC's ''[[This Week (ABC TV series)|This Week]]'' on April 6, 2008, that "Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for" the vice presidential nomination. He based this assessment on her attendance of [[Grover Norquist]]'s [[Americans for Tax Reform]] conservative leader's meeting on March 26, 2008.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mary |last=Bruce |title=Dan Senor: Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the VP Spot |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=April 6, 2008 |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/04/dan-senor-condo.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407194621/http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/04/dan-senor-condo.html |archive-date=April 7, 2008 |access-date=September 12, 2018 }}</ref> In response to Senor's comments, Rice's spokesperson denied that Rice was seeking the vice presidential nomination, saying, "If she is actively seeking the vice presidency, then she's the last one to know about it."<ref>{{cite news|first=Glenn |last=Kessler |author-link=Glenn Kessler (journalist) |title=Rice: Still Not Running for VP |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/04/07/rice_still_not_running_for_vp.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=April 7, 2008 |access-date=November 3, 2008 |quote=[[Sean McCormack|McCormack]] dismissed both as perfectly ordinary. 'I think if you look back at her tenure, in terms of her activities, you will find all of these activities perfectly normal and consistent with the way she has done her job over the past three years or so,' he said. 'If she is actively seeking the vice presidency, then she's the last one to know about it.' |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326212451/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/04/07/rice_still_not_running_for_vp.html |archive-date=March 26, 2012 }}</ref>

In August 2008, the speculation about a potential McCain–Rice ticket finally ended when then-Governor [[Sarah Palin]] of Alaska was selected as McCain's running-mate.

In early December 2008, Rice praised President-elect Barack Obama's selection of New York [[United States Senate|senator]] [[Hillary Clinton]] to succeed her as Secretary of State, saying "she's terrific". Rice, who spoke to Clinton after her selection, said Clinton "is someone of intelligence and she'll do a great job".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2008/12/rice-on-hillary.html|title=Rice on Hillary: 'She's Terrific'|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|first=George|last=Stephanopoulos |author-link=George Stephanopoulos|date=December 7, 2008|access-date=December 7, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208212642/http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2008/12/rice-on-hillary.html|archive-date=December 8, 2008}}</ref>

Rumors arose once again during the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 presidential race]] that presumptive nominee [[Mitt Romney]] was looking into vetting Rice for the vice presidency. Rice once again denied any such intentions or desires to become the vice president, reiterating in numerous interviews that she "is a policy maker, not a politician."<ref>{{cite web|title=Condoleezza Rice's thoughts on a vice presidency|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6r4mqNmjXo|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-01-13|website=YouTube|archive-date=December 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230233702/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6r4mqNmjXo}}</ref> Speculation ended in August 2012 when Romney announced that Representative [[Paul Ryan]] was chosen as his running-mate.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 11, 2012 |title=Mitt Romney chooses Paul Ryan as running mate |url=https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2012/08/11/mitt-romney-chooses-paul-ryan-as-running-mate}}</ref> Rice campaigned for the Romney-Ryan ticket in the general election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/condoleezza-rice-joins-paul-ryan-on-the-campaign-trail|title=Condoleezza Rice Joins Paul Ryan on the Campaign Trail|date=October 17, 2012|first=Shushannah|last=Walshe|publisher=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2012/10/17/condoleezza-rice-gives-paul-ryan-a-boost/|title=Condoleezza Rice gives Paul Ryan a boost|first=Felicia|last=Sonmez|date=October 17, 2012|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

According to [[Bob Woodward]]'s 2018 book ''[[Fear: Trump in the White House]]'', then-[[Republican National Committee]] chairman [[Reince Priebus]] told then Republican nominee Donald Trump, that he should drop out of the race for the good of the party following the release of the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape|''Access Hollywood'' tapes]]. During these discussions, it was revealed that [[Mike Pence]], the vice presidential nominee, had agreed to replace Trump on the top of the ticket as the Republican presidential nominee, with Rice agreeing to be Pence's running mate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Here are the top takeaways from Bob Woodward's new book on Donald Trump|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/top-takeaways-bob-woodwards-book-donald-trump/story?id=57611974|date=September 4, 2018|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref>

While promoting his book ''[[Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants]]'', former President Bush revealed he wrote-in Rice in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 election]] and said that although Rice was aware of the vote, she told him she "would refuse to accept the office."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/23/george-w-bush-2020-presidential-election-vote-condoleezza-rice|title=George W Bush reveals he voted for Condoleezza Rice in 2020 US election|date=April 23, 2021|work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/politics/george-w-bush-condoleezza-rice-2020-election/index.html|title=Bush says he wrote in Condoleezza Rice for president in 2020|first=Veronica|last=Stracqualurs|date=April 23, 2021|publisher=CNN}}</ref>