Democratic nominee for Governor in Georgia, Stacey Abrams, 48, lost her bid to become the first Black female governor in the nation’s history. With 84 % of the votes counted, incumbent Governor Brian Kemp, 59, crossed the 50% + 1 voter threshold, receiving 54.1% of the vote to Abrams’s 45.2%.
Abrams has conceded to Kemp, according to Channel 2 Action News, and at the time of this writing, supporters were awaiting remarks from the candidate. Georgia has not elected a Democratic governor since 2003.
In the lead-up to the election, Abrams focused on Medicaid expansion, abortion rights, and higher teacher salaries. Abrams proposed a platform that she described as “rife with plans.” Abrams pledged to tighten Georgia’s gun laws, roll back abortion restrictions, legalize casino and sports gambling to pay for college aid, and make housing more affordable.
The current race was a rematch between Abrams and Kemp, who first sought the governorship in 2018. In that race, Abrams came within 60,000 votes of becoming the first Black female governor in the nation. The 2018 election, mired in accusations of fraud and voter suppression, was a tale of two Georgia’s; one celebrating diversity as the future of a state where confederate flags were an everyday sight on tree-lined streets in many of the 159 Georgia counties.
It was also a race where Kemp, the sitting Georgia Secretary of State, refused to step down from that position and continued to oversee his election. And there was a sitting U.S. President encouraging election officials to use any means necessary to ensure his victory and victories for other Republican candidates.
A voting rights advocate, best-selling author, and former Georgia state lawmaker, Abrams enjoyed widespread support and record fundraising during the campaign. A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, Abrams is widely credited with delivering younger and more diverse democratic voters who turned a Republican stronghold state blue and sent two democratic senators to Washington, giving democrats control of the Senate and ensuring the presidency for current President Joseph Biden.