Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams
Born	Stacey Yvonne Abrams 9 12, 1973
Birthplace	Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, author
Known for	Founding Fair Fight Action; 2018 and 2022 Georgia gubernatorial campaigns; voting rights advocacy
Education	Yale Law School (J.D.)
Awards	Emily's List Rising Star Award; Truman Scholar; Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow
Website	[staceyabrams.com Official site]

Stacey Yvonne Abrams (born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, including six years as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Abrams made history in 2018 as the first African-American woman to receive a major-party nomination for governor in the United States when she ran in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. Although she lost that race to Republican Brian Kemp by a margin of approximately 1.4 percent, her candidacy and subsequent activism reshaped the political landscape of Georgia. In 2018, she founded Fair Fight Action, an organization dedicated to combating voter suppression, and her voter mobilization efforts have been credited with contributing to increased turnout in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election and the state's 2020–21 Senate elections, which resulted in Democratic control of the U.S. Senate. In February 2019, Abrams became the first African-American woman to deliver a response to the State of the Union address. She ran again for governor in 2022, losing to Kemp by a wider margin of 7.5 percent. Beyond politics, Abrams is an accomplished author of both fiction and nonfiction, with multiple New York Times best sellers to her name. As of early 2026, she has stated she will not seek the Georgia governorship in 2026 and has instead focused her efforts on civic engagement and anti-authoritarianism advocacy.

Early Life

Stacey Yvonne Abrams was born on December 9, 1973, in Madison, Wisconsin. She was raised in a large family; her sister, Leslie Abrams Gardner, later became a federal judge after being nominated by President Barack Obama in 2014.

Abrams's parents were both ministers who emphasized the importance of community service and education. The family eventually relocated to Georgia, where Abrams grew up and attended public schools. Despite financial hardships during her childhood, Abrams was a high-achieving student who demonstrated early interest in civic engagement and public service. Her family's emphasis on education and service would become recurring themes throughout her career in politics and community organizing.

As a young person in Georgia, Abrams was selected as a Truman Scholar while attending Spelman College, a prestigious fellowship awarded to college juniors who demonstrate leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The Truman Scholarship provided financial support for her graduate education and marked her as an emerging leader in public affairs at an early stage in her academic career.

Education

Abrams attended Spelman College, a historically Black women's college in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned her undergraduate degree. During her time at Spelman, she was recognized as a Truman Scholar, one of the most competitive merit-based fellowships in the United States for students pursuing careers in public service. She subsequently earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Abrams then attended Yale Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree. Her educational background in law, public policy, and public affairs provided the foundation for her later career in the Georgia legislature, the legal profession, and civic engagement.

Career

Legal and Business Career

Before entering electoral politics, Abrams established herself in the legal profession. She practiced as a tax attorney and was recognized by Super Lawyers magazine for her legal work in Georgia.

Abrams also pursued entrepreneurial ventures. She co-founded NOWaccount Network Corporation, a financial services firm focused on providing payment solutions for small businesses. The company sought to address cash flow challenges faced by small businesses by enabling faster payments. Her business experience informed her later legislative work on economic development and small business policy in the Georgia General Assembly.

Georgia House of Representatives

Abrams was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2006, representing the 84th district beginning in January 2007. She succeeded JoAnn McClinton in the seat. Following redistricting, she represented the 89th district from 2013 onward. During her tenure in the state legislature, Abrams focused on issues including fiscal policy, education, economic opportunity, and criminal justice reform.

In January 2011, Abrams was elected minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, succeeding DuBose Porter. She was the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African American to lead in the Georgia House of Representatives. As minority leader, she led the Democratic caucus through a period in which Republicans held substantial majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

Her leadership style was described as both "accomplished and driven" by Georgia Public Broadcasting, which noted her ability to work across party lines on certain legislative matters while maintaining firm positions on Democratic priorities. During her time as minority leader, Abrams was credited with helping to prevent the passage of certain legislation she opposed, including some tax proposals and bills she viewed as restrictive to voting access. She served as minority leader until July 1, 2017, when she was succeeded by Bob Trammell. She formally resigned from the Georgia House on August 25, 2017, to focus on her campaign for governor.

During her decade in the legislature, Abrams gained recognition as an emerging political figure. She was named to Georgia Trend magazine's "40 Under 40" list in 2016. She was also selected as a speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she addressed delegates and a national audience.

2018 Gubernatorial Campaign

In June 2017, Abrams announced her candidacy for Governor of Georgia in the 2018 election. Her entry into the race attracted national attention, and The Guardian profiled her as a Democratic candidate seeking to break new ground in Georgia politics. Abrams won the Democratic primary and became the first African-American woman to secure a major-party gubernatorial nomination in any state in U.S. history.

In the general election, Abrams faced Republican Brian Kemp, who was serving as Georgia's Secretary of State at the time. The race was closely watched nationally and became one of the most high-profile gubernatorial contests of the 2018 midterm election cycle. Kemp's dual role as both a candidate and the state's chief elections officer drew scrutiny and controversy, with critics raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and voter suppression tactics, including aggressive voter roll purges.

Abrams lost the election by approximately 1.4 percentage points. In her post-election speech, she acknowledged that she would not become governor but declined to offer a traditional concession, citing concerns about the integrity of the election process. The narrow margin and the controversies surrounding the election became catalysts for Abrams's subsequent advocacy work on voting rights.

Fair Fight Action and Voting Rights Advocacy

Following the 2018 election, Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a nonprofit organization focused on addressing voter suppression and promoting fair elections. The organization filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Georgia alleging that the state's election practices disproportionately burdened minority voters and violated their constitutional rights. Fair Fight Action engaged in voter registration drives, public education campaigns, and legal challenges to election laws and practices it deemed suppressive.

Abrams and her associated organizations focused significant energy on voter mobilization in Georgia in the lead-up to the 2020 elections. Her efforts, combined with those of numerous other organizations and activists, contributed to a substantial increase in voter turnout in the state. In the November 2020 presidential election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden won Georgia by approximately 12,000 votes, marking the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had carried the state since 1992. In the January 2021 Senate runoff elections, Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their respective races, giving Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. Abrams's voter registration and mobilization work was credited as a significant factor in these outcomes.

Abrams also founded the New Georgia Project, a voter registration organization. In November 2025, the New Georgia Project dissolved following scrutiny from the House Ways and Means Committee. Committee Chairman Jason Smith released a statement regarding the dissolution.

In her ongoing voting rights work, Abrams has focused on challenging voter identification laws and other measures she argues disproportionately affect minority, elderly, and low-income voters. In early 2026, she discussed these issues publicly, explaining the mechanisms by which voter ID requirements can function as barriers to ballot access.

2019 State of the Union Response

In February 2019, Abrams was selected by the Democratic Party to deliver the official response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. She became the first African-American woman to deliver a State of the Union response. In her address, Abrams discussed issues including voter suppression, economic inequality, immigration, and the importance of bipartisan cooperation. The selection of Abrams, who at the time held no elected office, was interpreted by political observers as a recognition of her growing national profile and the significance of her voting rights work.

2022 Gubernatorial Campaign

In December 2021, Abrams announced her second campaign for Governor of Georgia, again facing incumbent Republican Brian Kemp in the 2022 general election. The rematch attracted considerable national attention and fundraising on both sides. However, the political environment in 2022 differed from 2018, and Kemp had consolidated his position within the Republican Party following his public disagreements with former President Donald Trump over the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Abrams lost the 2022 election to Kemp by approximately 7.5 percentage points, a substantially wider margin than in 2018. The defeat prompted analysis about the changed political dynamics in Georgia, Kemp's strengthened incumbency, and the challenges facing Democratic candidates in the 2022 midterm environment.

Post-Electoral Advocacy (2023–present)

Following her 2022 loss, Abrams continued her civic engagement work outside of electoral politics. In January 2026, she confirmed that she would not seek the Georgia governorship in 2026 to succeed the term-limited Kemp, stating that she intended to focus on fighting authoritarianism and supporting democratic institutions.

By early 2026, Abrams had assembled a coalition of civic organizations as part of an initiative described as aimed at countering authoritarianism. The Guardian reported that her campaign had "brought together a wide tranche of civic groups to build a groundwork to defend" democratic norms, with Abrams describing the effort as functioning as "a force multiplier."

In February 2026, Abrams warned that certain federal law enforcement actions could serve as "test runs" ahead of key elections in 2026 and 2028, framing ongoing political developments in the context of electoral strategy and democratic governance.

She has continued to make public appearances and speeches at academic institutions and civic forums. In November 2025, she spoke at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law about "building a better political future."

Writing Career

Abrams is an author of both fiction and nonfiction works. Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, she published eight romance novels before 2021. Her nonfiction book Lead from the Outside addressed strategies for outsiders to build success and influence. Her second nonfiction book, Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America, focused on voter suppression and civic participation. Both nonfiction books became New York Times best sellers.

In May 2021, Abrams released While Justice Sleeps, a legal thriller published under her real name rather than her pen name. The novel, set in the Supreme Court of the United States, dealt with themes of political intrigue and justice. In December 2021, she published Stacey's Extraordinary Words, a children's book.

Personal Life

Abrams's sister, Leslie Abrams Gardner, serves as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia, having been nominated by President Barack Obama in 2014.

Abrams has spoken publicly about the financial challenges she faced earlier in her career, including significant credit card and student loan debt. She addressed these issues during her 2018 gubernatorial campaign, framing them as reflective of the financial pressures faced by many Americans. Her candid discussion of personal debt attracted both praise for its transparency and criticism from political opponents.

Abrams has resided in Atlanta, Georgia, throughout much of her adult life. She has served on various boards and advisory bodies, including the Board of Visitors at Agnes Scott College.

Recognition

Abrams has received numerous awards and recognitions over the course of her career in law, politics, and civic engagement. She was awarded the Truman Scholarship as a college student at Spelman College, recognizing her commitment to public service.

She received the Rising Star Award from EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights.

In 2013, Abrams was selected as a Rodel Fellow by the Aspen Institute, a fellowship program that brings together elected officials from both parties for discussions on governance and public leadership.

She was named a Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow by the Hunt Institute, a program focused on education policy leadership.

Lenny Letter profiled Abrams as a "bright future of American politics," highlighting her legislative record and policy positions. She was also featured as a speaker at the Governing Leadership Forum in Georgia in 2014.

Abrams served on the Board of Trustees of the Truman Scholarship Foundation, as documented in the foundation's 2013 annual report.

Her speaking engagements have included an address on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Legacy

Abrams's political career and advocacy work have had a measurable impact on Georgia politics and on national discussions about voting rights. Her 2018 gubernatorial campaign, as the first African-American woman to receive a major-party nomination for governor in any U.S. state, represented a milestone in American political history. The campaign and its aftermath catalyzed a sustained focus on voter access, voter registration, and election administration in Georgia and nationally.

The voter mobilization infrastructure that Abrams and her organizations helped build in Georgia contributed to the state's transformation from a reliably Republican state in presidential elections to a competitive battleground. The Democratic victories in Georgia in 2020 and early 2021 — including Biden's presidential win and the Senate victories of Warnock and Ossoff — were frequently attributed in part to the groundwork laid by Abrams's organizing efforts over several years.

Abrams's founding of Fair Fight Action created an institutional framework for ongoing voting rights litigation and advocacy that extended beyond her personal political campaigns. The organization's work in Georgia served as a model for similar efforts in other states. Her public discussions of voter suppression brought these issues to broader public attention and contributed to national policy debates about election reform, the Voting Rights Act, and voter identification laws.

As of 2026, Abrams has shifted her focus from electoral candidacy to broader civic engagement, framing her work as part of an effort to defend democratic institutions and norms. Her coalition-building approach, bringing together diverse civic organizations, represents a continuation of the organizing model she developed during her earlier political campaigns and voting rights work. Whether she returns to electoral politics remains an open question, but her impact on Georgia's political landscape and on national voting rights discourse is a documented part of recent American political history.