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Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks during a conversation about criminal justice reform at the New York Public Library in New York City, on April 10, 2019. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Former Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams announced in a video on Twitter on April 30 that she will not run for a Senate seat in 2020.
“The Senate provides a singular platform from which to address the issues of access to justice, economic security, health care, and restoring the integrity of our nation’s democracy,” Abrams said. “However, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for U.S. Senate.”
Abrams explained that being a senator would not be “the best role for me in this battle for our nation’s future,” but added that she still didn’t “know exactly what’s next for me.”
She told The Associated Press that has not ruled out joining the presidential race though she is in no rush to join a Democratic field that already has 20 candidates.
“I’m going to continue to watch how the national conversation around the presidency unfolds. I’m not taking myself out of that conversation, but I’m not ready to make a determination, and I don’t think one is necessary at this moment,” Abrams said.
She has already informed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, her chief Senate advocate, of her plans on April 29.
“He was extraordinarily gracious,” Abrams said.
National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt told NBC Abrams decision could be considered “an embarrassing recruiting fail” for Schumer, who is facing an uphill battle in his bid to form a Senate majority.
She also told the wire that she could consider a rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, who she narrowly lost to last November.
Earlier this month, Abrams said she still refuses to concede the election to Kemp, calling it a “stolen election.” According to the Washington Free Beacon, Abrams lost the Georgia election by 54,723 votes.
The election was plagued by controversy as Kemp, who was Georgia’s secretary of state at the time, managed the election. Abrams called the election process “rotten and rigged,” adding that Kemp’s office had more than 50,000 voter registration applications still pending, reported NBC. She accused Kemp of voter suppression.
However, according to Reuters, he resigned as secretary of state after the Nov. 6 election and didn’t oversee the review of the final ballot tally. Kemp has also denied Abrams’s allegations against him, saying that he was following the law.
Abram’s political action committee, Fair Fight Action, has launched a lawsuit (pdf) against Georgia officials claiming that the election was “grossly mismanaged,” which the PAC says “deprived Georgia citizens, and particularly citizens of color, of their fundamental right to vote.”
She also highlighted the issue of voter suppression in her video on April 30.
He says the group has not publicly endorsed Abrams but is urging their members to participate in her campaign against Kemp.
Moreover, Loudon said Abrams has been linked to the Metro Atlanta chapter of the DSA for many years. She spoke at the organization’s first membership meeting in 2011.
