Stacey Abrams has been a figure in Georgia politics for more than a decade.
The Yale Law School graduate was elected to the State House in 2006. Four years later, House Democrats elected her at their leader.
In 2018, Abrams ran for Georgia Governor against Republican Brian Kemp. Abrams built a large national profile as she sought to become the first black woman elected governor in the nation. Her campaign featured a platform that included boosting public education, the expansion of Medicaid and gun safety She also faced questions over her debt, which included about $54,000 to the Internal Revenue Service. “You can delay IRS payments,” Abrams said. “You can’t delay cancer treatments.” In May 2019, Abrams said she had repaid the IRS tax debt.
Abrams fell short in the election garnering about 49 percent of the vote. That mark was best Democratic performance in a Georgia Governor election since 1998 when Roy Barnes was elected.
After her loss, Abrams was mentioned as a potential challenger to U.S. Senator David Perdue in 2020. She has said she plans to run for office again but is not sure which one. The next Georgia governor’s race is 2022.
Abrams delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's 2019 State of the Union speech.
In the 2020 and early 2021 Georgia elections, Abrams was given credit for helping Joe Biden to win Georgia, followed by the election of Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the U.S. Senate, replacing two Republicans and giving Democrats control of the Senate.
She also has been sought for comment about Georgia’s controversial new election laws, as she urged caution about boycotts but pressed criticism of how Georgia’s changes could hurt voting access, especially for minority voters.
More about Stacey Abrams
Profile from 2018: As she ran for governor, Stacey Abrams evoked her life story
From 2019: The Root calls Stacey Abrams the most influential African American in the country
From 2020: Stacy Abrams carves out a new Election 2020 role in Georgia
From 2020: Stacey Abrams’ Georgia turning blue
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