Now that the government has been temporarily reopened, Nancy Pelosi has re-extended the invitation for Donald Trump to deliver the State of the Union Address from the House floor. Traditionally, the opposition party issues a response address afterwards, and this year, the Democrat to give that speech will be Stacey Abrams.
Abrams lost saw her race for governor stolen from her after massive reports of election fraud overseen by her opponent, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp (the person charged with overseeing elections). At the time, she acknowledged that the election was over but refused to concede because “Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper.”
“I will not concede,” she said, “because the erosion of our democracy is not right.”
Stacey Abrams: “I acknowledge that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified the victor in the 2018 gubernatorial elections.”
Abrams adds that she’s not conceding, just acknowledging the reality. She says a concession means that “an action is true, proper…” pic.twitter.com/37f42EWfpd
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 16, 2018
Trump’s State of the Union Address is likely to focus on questionable brags about economic gains under his leadership and immigration fearmongering. No doubt he will talk at length about his desired wall.
The Democrats then get to tell the country what they see as the state of the union, and by appointing Abrams to this role, party leadership is signaling that voter rights and the erosion of our democratic practices are major priorities. Indeed, that’s what Chuck Schumer said when he made the announcement.
Stacey Abrams—who narrowly lost Georgia’s gubernatorial election in November—will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. pic.twitter.com/myuumxlXqt
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) January 29, 2019
“She is a great spokesperson, she’s an incredible leader,” he said. “She has led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything else.”
During the 2018 primary elections, reports of election fraud came out of a number of states. In North Dakota, a new law requiring voters to show a form of identification that includes their home address directly targeted Native American voters. In Abrams’ state of Georgia, there were polling place closures, missing voting machines, and hundreds of thousands of cancelled voter registrations. After the election was over, Republicans in Michigan and Wisconsin worked to limit the power of incoming Democrats, undermining the decisions of voters who elected new leadership.
Abrams has launched a voting rights group and she’s also thought to be eyeing a Senate run in 2020. She’s exactly the kind of tenacious voice Democrats need to be representing the party.
At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response. https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 29, 2019
The State of the Union and the Democratic response are scheduled for Tuesday, February 5th.
(image: Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
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