Stacey Abrams | Poll-Vaulter

August 15, 2019

Stacey Abrams, who lost her 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia by a narrow margin to Republican Brian Kemp, said she would be “honored” to be considered as a running mate for any of the two dozen hopefuls who are making a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination next year, The Hill reported on August 14.

“I would be honored to be considered by any nominee,” she said in an interview with The New York Times that was published Wednesday.

Abrams already had announced on August 13 that she would not throw her hat into the presidential race-but that she would work instead to combat voter suppression and increase participation in the 2020 census.

However, her personal charisma and political acuity are not to be ignored: As another option, she said she would privileged to be chosen as the vice presidential candidate, should the nominee approach her.

According to The Hill, the Georgia Democrat has cited voter suppression as a reason for her defeat, noting the removal of thousands of people who had failed to cast ballots in recent elections from voting rolls and hours-long lines at some precincts.

“I’ve been thinking about this for the last few weeks, an I’ve just come to the decision that my best value add, the strongest contribution I can give to this primary, would be to make sure our nominee is coming into an environment where there’s strong voter protections in place,” she told the Times.

Abrams added that she did not want to wage a campaign “simply because the office is available” and that she’s “been pleased with the direction of the field,” urging all the candidates to also prioritize voter suppression and campaign in Georgia.

Several Democratic presidential candidates already have vowed to (or suggested they might) pick a female running mate if nominated. Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) vowed in April to pick a woman as his vice president, while former Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) said in March it would “very difficult not to select a woman” as his running mate.”

Research contact: @thehill

May 24, 2018

While the polls in Georgia officially closed at 7 p.m. on May 22, the window of opportunity for Democrat Stacey Abrams—the first black woman to win a gubernatorial nomination for any major party in that state—opened up, The Root reported.

With only 34% of the vote in that early in the evening, “everybody from the Atlanta Journal Constitution to CNN to Stevie Wonder” could see that Stacey Abrams’ 75% to 25% lead over fellow Democrat Stacey Evans wouldn’t disappear with a few more counties left to check in, The Root said.

The landslide had not been predicted. Back on April 19, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News released their latest polling numbers, more than half (52%) of likely Georgia Democratic voters still had not decided who would get their vote in next month’s primary election for governor. At that time, roughly one-third of likely Democratic voters said they backed Abrams; with Evans attracting about half of that, or 15% of the electorate.

According to The Root, Abrams’ victory not only puts Georgia on the map but heals an unnecessary and overblown wound in the Democratic Party, just in time for what might be a nation-changing, midterm election. Abrams secured the support of the two frontrunners in the last national Democratic primaries —Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-Maine) and his Our Revolution advocates and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-New York).

However, the news outlet warned,”The work is only just beginning. There will a be tough race against either Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle or Secretary of State Brian Kemp [in November].”

Research contact: gbluestein@ajc.com

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