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And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Ax Files, with your host, David Axelrod.

Six weeks ago, as people were speculating about who Joe Biden might select for Vice President,

few would have surmised that Representative Karen Bass of California would emerge as a leading contender.

When you hear her extraordinary story, when you sit down with her, when you talk to her colleagues and opponents in Washington and in California,

where she served as Speaker of the California Assembly during a very difficult time, you begin to understand why her name has surfaced.

I sat down with Representative Bass this week to talk about her life and career, as the Vice Presidential Search Process entered its final days.

Here is that conversation.

Congresswoman Karen Bass, it is so good to see you. You are kind of at least one of the women of the hour here.

A month ago, people outside of California and the Congress would have been a hard press to place your name.

You were in a household name in American politics. Now you've catapulted to the top of the list of Vice Presidential possibilities for Joe Biden.

I'm wondering how you process all of that.

It has definitely been a surreal moment, a surreal experience, but it's very interesting to read about yourself.

Yeah, I know. Well, you know what they say in politics. If you're not reading about yourself, then that's not good news.

What was Mario Cuomo said? Only in cowboy movies do people shoot backwards.

So I think there's some wisdom to that.

But you know, it strikes me that your reputation, and I think it's a genuine one, is more as a, even though you've had conspicuous position Speaker of the California Assembly and so on Chairman of the Black Congressional Caucus,

your reputation is as more of a workhorse than a showhorse.

And you're not someone who's sought out the limelight. So this is a different kind of experience for you.

It absolutely is. And I frankly like that reputation because I have been focused on accomplishing very specific things in the community and through the legislative process.

And I have focused on the work. I'm not shy when I need to speak before the press. I have no problem doing that. In fact, I enjoy it.

But it has not been my primary focus is to promote myself or to try to rise up in various positions.

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