Stacey Abrams knows how to get things done


One of the best things about Stacey Abrams is she's a pragmatist.
Abrams is deservedly a progressive icon for all the work she has done fighting for voting rights and getting Democrats to the polls in the once-deep-red state of Georgia. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), meanwhile, has mostly been treated like a villain since he declared he won't support his party's For the People Act, a somewhat messy voting rights bill favored by the left.
But on Thursday, Abrams said she "absolutely" could back Manchin's alternative voting rights proposal, which includes a mandate for early voting and a ban on partisan gerrymandering — but also new voter ID requirements and authority for state officials to purge some voters from the rolls, two ideas that have previously been anathema to Democrats.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Manchin's proposals "will create a level playing field, will create standards that do not vary from state to state, and I think will ensure that every American has improved access to the right to vote," she told CNN.
Abrams' stance may surprise some of her allies on the left, but it shouldn't. As a Democrat in Georgia, she has had to grind for her party's victories. Before its wins in the 2020 election, it had been 20 years since her state voted a Democrat into the U.S. Senate, and nearly 30 years since it voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. To help obtain election victories for President Biden and U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock — and to serve as minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives — Abrams couldn't just appeal to the left. She had to work with people like Manchin the whole time. The alternative would have been a theatrical impotence all too common in our politics.
Instead, Thursday's announcement could give lefty Democrats some room to find common ground with Manchin after weeks and months of bashing him — and with it, the possibility of enacting new voting protections into law. As always, Republicans will have a say. But once again, Abrams deserves credit for making what seemed impossible a little less so.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
America's academic brain drain has begun
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the Trump administration targets universities and teachers, educators are eying greener academic pastures elsewhere — and other nations are starting to take notice
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Musk targeting a Wisconsin Supreme Court race?
Today's Big Question His money could help conservatives, but it could also produce a Democratic backlash
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How to pay off student loans
The explainer Don't just settle for the default repayment plan
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Schumer: Did he betray the Democrats?
Feature 'Schumer had only bad political options'
By The Week US Published
-
Resistance: How should Democrats oppose Trump?
Feature The Democrats’ lack of strategy leaves them struggling against Trump’s agenda
By The Week US Published
-
Schumer: Democrats will help pass spending bill
Speed Read The Democrats end the threat of government shutdown
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Extremists still find plenty of digital spaces'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to Congress
Speed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Are we really getting a government shutdown this time?
Talking Points Democrats rebel against budget cuts by Trump, Musk
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'This new reality contradicts one of the chief aims of America's patent system'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Some news organizations will fight, in an atmosphere of constant anxiety'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published