Stacey Abrams Concedes to Incumbent Brian Kemp in Rematch for Georgia Governor: ‘Still Standing Strong’

This was the second Georgia gubernatorial race that featured Abrams, a Democrat, running against Kemp, a Republican who this year had the incumbent advantage

Stacey Abrams has conceded in her second bid for Georgia governor, accepting defeat in her rematch with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The concession came before the Associated Press called the race.

In 2018 Abrams was the first Black woman to be nominated for governor by either major party in any state. She narrowly lost that year’s Georgia gubernatorial race to Kemp. The 2018 election was marred by allegations of voter suppression and wasn’t resolved until 10 days after polls closed.

“Even though my fight — our fight — for the governor’s mansion may have come up short, I’m pretty tall,” Abrams told a fired up crowd late Tuesday night. “I am here because this is a moment where, despite every obstacle, we are still standing strong and standing tall and standing resolute and standing in our values, and we know Georgia deserves more.”

She continued: “Whether we do it from the governor’s mansion or from the streets, whether we do it from the Capitol or from our communities, we are going to fight for more for the state of Georgia. That is what we’re here for.”

In the wake of her loss, Abrams became one of the country’s leading voices on the importance of — and challenges to — voting rights.

Two groups founded by Abrams — the New Georgia Project and Fair Fight — have been central to an enormous registration drive in Georgia in recent years, including some 800,000 new voters between 2018 and the 2020 election.

Those voter registration efforts set the backdrop for November 2020’s presidential surprise, when some 5 million ballots were cast in Georgia, smashing the previous record. Joe Biden ultimately defeated Donald Trump in the state — the first Democrat to win statewide there in decades.

Abrams announced she was launching another bid for governor in a video posted to Twitter last December, writing in a caption: “I’m running for Governor because opportunity in our state shouldn’t be determined by zip code, background or access to power.”

In an accompanying ad, then-47-year-old Abrams said, “If our Georgia is going to move to its next and greatest chapter, we’re going to need leadership. Leadership that knows how to do the job. Leadership that doesn’t take credit without also taking responsibility. Leadership that understand the true pain folks are feeling, and has real plans. That’s the job of governor — to fight for one Georgia. Our Georgia. And now, it’s time to get the job done.”

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Abrams also has a second career as a writer of a string of hit romance thrillers. She released her latest novel — a political thriller — last May.

Gov. Kemp will begin his second four-year term in January. According to state law, he will not be eligible to run for a third term in 2026.

Abrams has not announced whether she plans to seek the state’s highest office a third time in the next gubernatorial election.