Stacey Abrams announced Wednesday she is running for governor of Georgia, delighting Democrats, liberals activists and setting the stage for one of the most high-profile \u2026<\/b>
\nStacey Abrams announced Wednesday she is running for governor of Georgia, delighting Democrats, liberals activists and setting the stage for one of the most high-profile gubernatorial races in the country. Ms. Abrams, a voting-rights activist and former state lawmaker, said if Georgia is going to \u201cmove to its next and greatest chapter, we are going to need leadership.\u201d \u201cLeadership that knows how to do the job,\u201d the 47-year-old said in her announcement video. \u201cLeadership that doesn\u2019t take credit without also taking responsibility. Leadership that understands the true pain folks are feeling and has real plans.\u201d \u201cThat is the job of governing: to fight for one Georgia, our Georgia,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd now it is time to get the job done.\u201d Heralded as a rising star in the Democratic ranks, Ms. Abrams, barring a surprise, will be running on the same ticket as Sen. Raphael Warnock. Mr. Warnock, who is also Black, will be seeking his first full term in the upper chamber. Ms. Abrams is seeking to become the nation\u2019s first female Black governor. Democrats have been eagerly awaiting Ms. Abrams\u2019 next move since she came within 2 points of defeating Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 election. Her announcement sets up a possible rematch with Gov. Kemp, who is seeking reelection. Mr. Kemp\u2019s path to reelection is more complicated this time around. He had the support of then-President Donald Trump the last go-round. Mr. Trump is now gunning for Mr. Kemp, infuriated over the incumbent\u2019s refusal to embrace his claims of a stolen election. Mr. Trump insists he won Georgia, and his most loyal supporters have run with the claim. Amid those tensions, former Sen. David Perdue is weighing a primary challenge to Mr. Kemp. Democrats are hoping that intraparty friction in the GOP will boost their chances of making Ms. Abrams the first female Black governor in the nation\u2019s history. Maddie Anderson, spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association, welcomed Ms. Abrams to the race by saying she is \u201conce again using Georgia to boost her own star while she plots a path toward her real career goal: president of the United States. \u201cOver the past four years, Governor Kemp has exhibited courageous leadership for Georgians and guided his state through a turbulent time,\u201d she said. \u201cStacey Abrams spent her time touring the country in search of fame and fortune.\u201d In her announcement video, Ms. Abrams said she has established a record of fighting for families during coronavirus by helping to pay off medical debt, expanding access to vaccines, and financing small businesses. \u201cOur values are still strong no matter where we come from in Georgia or how long we have been here, we believe in this place and our people,\u201d she said. \u201cFolks who deserve to be seen and heard and have a voice because in the end we are one Georgia, regardless of the pandemic or the storms, the obstacles in our way or the forces determined to divide us.\u201d \u201cMy job has been to put my head down and keep working toward one Georgia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n