Stacey Abrams’ campaign for governor has temporarily paused fundraising solicitations and shifted its focus to collecting donations to help abortion rights groups in Georgia.
It’s yet another indication how the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide has upended Georgia’s campaign trail.
Abrams said she’ll commit her campaign’s fundraising juggernaut to boost several groups: The Feminist Women’s Health Center, SisterSong, ARC Southeast, Planned Parenthood Southeast and NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia.
“We know that no one individual, campaign or organization can guarantee reproductive choice on their own,” Abrams’ campaign wrote in a campaign fundraising email. “We can only win this fight by uniting and doing the work together.”
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Abrams said the campaign will “absolutely lean into and lead on that issue,” reflecting a belief by Democrats that the yet-to-be-released ruling could provide a unifying midterm message.
“If I want to be the governor of one Georgia, that means I’ve got to govern for the women of Georgia,” she said. “And the women of Georgia by and large agree that their right to choose should not be stripped away from them.”
Abrams has become a fundraising dynamo since her 2018 run for governor ended in a narrow defeat. The Fair Fight Action political organization she founded raised more than $100 million since 2019, and the group took a similar step to boost abortion rights groups after Georgia lawmakers passed new restrictions.
Abrams, who has yet to disclose her latest figures, collected more than $9.2 million between December and January – outpacing both Gov. Brian Kemp and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue.
She also won a legal battle that blocked a special pro-Kemp leadership committee from raising cash until the May 24 primary is decided.
Kemp reported this week that he added $2.7 million to his campaign account in the 26 days following the close of the legislative session, ending the latest reporting period with $10.7 million in cash on hand. Perdue has yet to disclose his latest figures.
Washington correspondent Tia Mitchell contributed to this report.
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