Georgia voters in 2018 chose Republican candidate Brian Kemp, narrowly, over Abrams: Kemp won 50%-48% with approximately 54,700 votes separating them out of 3.9 million ballots that were cast.
Kemp was then Georgia’s secretary of state and Abrams was a little-known former state legislator.
After the narrow loss, Abrams accused Kemp and the Republican Party of stealing the election using “voter suppression” by dropping thousands of voters from the rolls.
"I acknowledge that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified as the victor in the 2018 gubernatorial election," Abrams said in an angry concession speech. "But to watch an elected official, who claims to represent the people in this state, baldly pin his hopes for election on suppression of the people's democratic right to vote has been truly appalling."
Four years later, Abrams has become a familiar name to many after hours and hours of sympathetic news interviews about her loss to Kemp. In 2019, despite not holding public office, she was chosen to give the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. Her name was floated in 2020 as the V.P. nominee for Joe Biden, who had stated he would pick a woman.
Abrams also leads a “voting rights” group called Fair Fight, which is credited with helping Joe Biden in 2020, and the group will no doubt help her organize and get voters to the polls next year in her bid to become governor.
Reacting to Abrams' announcement, radio host Martha Zoller told The Todd Starnes Show that Republicans should not take Abrams lightly.
"She's very well organized. She's got the money. She's got the resources," Zoller, a veteran of Georgia politics, told the radio program. "She's got the network to be able to pick up where she left off in 2018."
That does not mean Abrams will march into the governor’s office, however. Alfred Ortiz, who leads the Job Creators Network, reacted to the Democrat’s announcement by reminding Georgia voters their would-be governor praised Major League Baseball for moving the All-Star Game from her state after Gov. Kemp signed legislation to tighten voting rules.
“I suggest she run for mayor of Denver,” Ortiz said of Abrams. “She’s done much more to help the citizens there any anyone in Georgia.”
According to Zoller, Abrams has spent three years outside of Georgia pursuing other political goals and didn’t even make a stop in the state during a national book tour.
“She has not been that involved in Georgia politics. Certainly her Fair Fight Action has,” Zoller observed. “But she’s been vying for other things, and when they didn’t come through --- like being Vice President --- then I guess she decided maybe she’ll run for governor of Georgia.”
