2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams knows how to keep the crowds guessing and the fans hoping.
Just weeks after she hinted to an audience at the 92nd Street Y in New York City that she was seriously considering a Senate run—and then proceeded to rule that out—Abrams is declining to rule out a 2020 presidential run.
In an interview this week, Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer said to Abrams, “It has been reported that while not running for Senate, you are still potentially considering joining the ever-growing Democratic presidential field. Is that true?”
Ever coy, Abrams simply replied, “yes.”
.@danpfeiffer "It has been reported that you are still considering joining the ever-growing democratic presidential field. Is that true?" @staceyabrams: "Yes."
Stacey Abrams joins today's Pod, out this afternoon: https://t.co/bKb0xcI0mYpic.twitter.com/42pxs22VFi
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) May 9, 2019
Asked about why she decided against a Senate run, Abrams noted that while she believes if a Democrat can win the race, she herself could, she didn’t feel her work approach would fit the Senate.
“I’m much more suited to a more executive role than a legislative role, because even in the state legislature in Georgia, I was a legislator for four years, and I was a leader for seven years,” she said. “Part of that for me is about building systems and making sure that the execution of the ideas are as tightly done as possible and that’s what I’m good at.”
While Abrams is continuing to focus her efforts on combating voter suppression through her organization Fair Fight Action, the matter is important enough to her that it could be the nudge that pushes her into the presidential race.
“For me the most important and urgent conversation of the day is the fight for free and fair elections—because I believe that that is an existential crisis facing our democracy,” Abrams explained.
Pointing to recent examples in states like Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, and Florida, Abrams argued that elections can’t be won for the people if there are no candidates fighting against voter suppression.
“We also have to have candidates who are fighting for all of us, who realize this is not an election against Donald Trump, it is for America,” she said. “We also have to have candidates who believe that every community is a persuasion target, not just a turnout target and we have to have a strategy that looks at every state and understands how we can maximize our turnout, not to win the popular vote but to win the electoral colleges.
“I’m looking at all that. I want to make certain that the candidates who are moving forward are paying attention to that and have plans for that,” Abrams continued. “If I think they don’t, I’ll probably jump in myself.”