Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate considered a rising star in the Democratic Party despite her defeat, announced Monday that a 2020 presidential bid is “definitely on the table” — just hours after seemingly telling attendees at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, that she wouldn’t be ready to run until at least 2028.
Abrams, 45, who repeatedly blamed voter fraud for her defeat in Georgia, became the first African-American woman to deliver a formal State of the Union response earlier this year. In that nationally televised address, she hurled epithets at the White House and emphasized her time leading Democrats in the state House of Representatives — experience that, on Monday, she initially appeared to recognize as insufficient to support a presidential candidacy.
“In the spreadsheet with all the jobs I wanted to do, 2028 would be the earliest I would be ready to stand for president because I would have done the work I thought necessary to be effective at that job,” Abrams said onstage at SXSW, adding that she likely would make up her mind by the end of April.
DEFEATED ABRAMS REFUSES TO CALL BRIAN KEMP THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA
In a follow-up tweet that she labeled a “fact check,” Abrams’ former campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, wrote: “@staceyabrams’ remarks at #SXSW were in reference to her years-old spreadsheet, not her current considerations. She is taking a look at all options on the table in 2020 and beyond.” – MORE