Democrats have expressed dismay behind closed doors about the prospect of two-time failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams throwing her hat in the ring for another run at office.
This past January, without specifying exactly what position she would run for, Abrams told Drew Barrymore on her daytime talk show that she will be back again.
“I will likely run again,” Abrams said. “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. If it doesn’t work, you try again.”
Abrams seemed to reiterate this position when she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) last week that she views political office as “one tool for the issues I am committed to tackling.”
Greg Bluestein of the AJC quoted several Democrats who feared another Abrams run would further tarnish the party’s brand in the purple state of Georgia.
Georgia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams aired her abortion extremism by suggesting fetal heartbeats are a "manufactured sound." https://t.co/prtZ6qYyDb
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 22, 2022
“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,” Bluestein wrote.
Chair of Monroe County’s Democratic Party Yvonne Stuart, for instance, said that while she appreciated Abrams’ fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts, she felt another Democrat should run for office.
“I do believe there might be another charismatic Democrat that can take us all the way in 2026,” said Stuart.
Watch CNN’s Jeff Zeleny: Stacey Abrams One of the Biggest Political Losers of the Year
“I believe that there are opportunities for others to step up to the plate and run for governor,” said David Ellis-Mendoza, the chair of the Bartow County Democrats
“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 the Democratic Party of Georgia Bobby Kahn said.
Abrams saw her star power take a hit in December of last year for her poor financial management in the wake of her failure to unseat Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams ridiculed the state of Georgia Saturday, dismissing rival Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) claim that the Peach State is the best place to live and do business in the United States. https://t.co/4PuwPEQCS7
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 24, 2022
As Breitbart News previously reported, Stacey Abrams raised over $100 million for her failed campaign but still found herself over $1 million in debt, prompting her to fire staff immediately after the November election. Democrats did not withhold their criticism of her financial decisions.
“It’s incredibly bad planning, and it shows where their values are at,” a senior Democratic official told Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You can’t look up one day and realize you can’t pay the bills.”
