Stacey Abrams returns to Georgia governor's race following unsuccessful 2018 bid

Joining in the day's other gubernatorial announcements, voting rights activist and Democrat Stacey Abrams shared Wednesday her plans to run for Georgia governor, in what will likely be a rematch against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R), NBC News reports.

"I'm running for governor because opportunity in our state shouldn't be determined by ZIP code, background, or access to power," Abrams wrote on Twitter, alongside a campaign video.

If Abrams wins, "she would become the first Black governor in Georgia and the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history," writes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She would also end a Republican winning streak in gubernatorial contests dating back to 2002.

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The former Democratic candidate lost by less that 1.4 percentage points to Kemp in 2018, "the closest Georgia gubernatorial election in decades," writes the Journal-Constitution. Her decision to run again was reportedly "long expected" by party locals.

In a statement of his own, Kemp said Abrams' "far-left agenda of open borders, gun confiscation, high taxes, and anti-law enforcement policies don't reflect who we are as Georgians." Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and NBC News.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.