Voting rights champion Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday that she’s entering Georgia’s gubernatorial race for a second time.
In 2018, Abrams won the state’s Democratic primary in a landslide but very narrowly “lost” to Brian Kemp in the general election. That “loss” comes with a huge asterisk, as the election was mired in accusations of voter suppression, in an election that Kemp himself, as the Secretary of State, was charged with overseeing. At the time, she acknowledged that the election was over but refused to officially concede because “Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper.”
If you missed it at the time, her non-concession speech was incandescent:
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
After spending the last few years helping transform the voting landscape in Georgia and stumping for Democrats nationwide, Abrams has announced that she’s challenging Kemp for the governor’s seat once again.
In her campaign announcement video, Abrams says she’s running “because opportunity and success in Georgia shouldn’t be determined by your ZIP code, background, or access to power.”
I’m running for Governor because opportunity in our state shouldn’t be determined by zip code, background or access to power. #gapol
Be a founding donor to my campaign:https://t.co/gk2lmBINfW pic.twitter.com/z14wUlo8ls
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) December 1, 2021
After touting some of her accomplishments over the last few years, Abrams says in the video, “Regardless of the pandemic or the storms, the obstacles in our way or the forces determined to divide us, my job has been to just put my head down and keep working toward one Georgia.”
Since 2018, Georgia has swung much farther blue, having elected two Democratic senators, thanks massively to the work Abrams and other voting rights activists have done.
(image: Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
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