Several Democratic operatives are “worried” about failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams attempting another run for office.
Abrams spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) on Thursday about her next steps to “address critical needs and achieve long-term change.”
“Political office is simply one tool for the issues I am committed to tackling,” Abrams said, “and I will engage all sectors to serve.”
While she did not elaborate on if that would involve her challenging Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, she said during a January appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” she “will likely run again.”
However, AJC’s Greg Bluestein reported that several Democrats are not excited at the prospect, writing, “But interviews with more than three dozen Democratic officials, party leaders and activists suggest she may not have the same unified support she enjoyed after her first defeat to Kemp in 2018.”
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“Like many other Democrats, [Chair of Monroe County’s Democratic Party Yvonne] Stuart praised Abrams’ work mobilizing voters and laying the groundwork for the party’s 2020 gains. But she said she worried that Abrams lost partly because ‘she fell into the trap of becoming too much of a celebrity’ in between her campaigns,” Bluestein wrote.
Stuart said, “I do believe there might be another charismatic Democrat that can take us all the way in 2026.”
In addition, David Ellis-Mendoza, the chair of the Bartow County Democrats, told AJC that Abrams’ team “repeatedly” failed to “build ties with rural and exurban counties.”
“I believe that there are opportunities for others to step up to the plate and run for governor,” Ellis-Mendoza said.
Perhaps more importantly, some had fears that Abrams could lose again in a third election.
“The party needs to move forward. And going 0-3 isn’t a way to go forward. Does she really want to be the next Guy Millner?” former head of…
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