Stacey Abrams, Former Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate, at the National Action Network (NAN) convention in New York City.
Michael Brochstein | LightRocket | Getty Images
Democrat Stacey Abrams, who lost narrowly in her bid to be Georgia's governor last year, will not challenge Republican Sen. David Perdue in the state's 2020 U.S. Senate race – but she's not ruling out a run for the White House.
"I've been deeply honored by so many fellow Georgians asking me to serve," she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a story published Tuesday morning. "But my responsibility is not simply to run because the job is available. I need to run because I want to do the job."
Her decision leaves the Democratic primary field in Georgia wide open. Abrams only lost the governor's race in the recently red state by about 1.5 percentage points to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, leading many to see her as the best challenger to Perdue statewide.
Republicans have to defend 22 Senate seats in 2020, while only 12 Democratic-held seats are up for grabs. Georgia is considered among a handful of the most competitive races next year.
Senate Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats would have to flip four seats to win control. The Senate GOP campaign arm cheered Abrams' decision on Tuesday.
National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Jesse Hunt said Abrams "handed Chuck Schumer his most embarrassing recruiting fail of the cycle, leaving Georgia Democrats stuck with an assortment of second-tier candidates."
Former Columbus, Georgia, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson has said she would run for Senate if Abrams did not, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier in April.
Abrams' national profile has grown since she lost to Kemp by more than 50,000 votes. The contest was also mired in controversy, as there were allegations of voter suppression.
In February, Abrams delivered the Democrats' response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. More recently, there was speculation that former Vice President Joe Biden would announce Abrams as his 2020 running mate months before next year's primary contests even began.
Abrams has since focused on issues such as voting rights and health insurance expansion. She could consider running against Kemp again in 2022.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Abrams did not explicitly rule out running for president next year.
"This conversation was about the Senate," she told the newspaper. "I have not decided what I'm going to do about other races, but Georgia will always be at the center of my plans."
The Democratic primary field already has 20 candidates, including Biden, who recently made his bid official. The first Democratic presidential debate will take place on June 26 and 27 in Miami.
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment