Stacey Abrams speaking to Biden supporters in the campaign
Credit: AP
There was only one name being celebrated across Georgia last night as it appeared the state was within touching distance of turning blue for the first time in almost 30 years – and it was not Joe Biden.
Jubilant Democrats were quick to spotlight the work of Stacey Abrams, a former candidate for governor of Georgia, and a rising star within the party, whom they credited for the surprise lead Mr Biden has taken in the state.
Ms Abrams first made national headlines with her surprisingly strong show in the 2018 governor’s race.
Despite narrowly losing to Republican Brian Kemp, the race had been mired in allegations of voter suppression, which particularly affected Democrat-leaning African Americans, and which many blamed for her defeat.
After losing by less than two points in the ruby red state, Ms Abrams told Vogue she mourned for ten days.
“Then,” she said, “I started plotting.”
The result was a determination to bring an end to the voter suppression tactics that have long plagued US elections with the launch of a nonprofit, Fair Fight, to turn-out the vote in targeted areas.
How Georgia voted
Since then, Ms Abrams and her organisation have registered an estimated 800,000 new voters and quashed state rules which disqualify ballots for minor errors.
According to Ms Abrams, 45 per cent of those new voters are under the age of 30 and almost half are people of colour – two blocs that typically lean Democratic.
It is this grassroots activism which many Democrats believe has led to the party’s surprise success in the state during the presidential election.
With more than 98 per cent of the count completed last night, Mr Biden lead Donald Trump in Georgia by a little over 1,500 votes. If he maintains this lead, Mr Biden will be the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992.
Securing the state’s 16 electoral college votes would also put the White House out of Mr Trump’s reach.
So many deserve credit for 10yrs to new Georgia: @gwlauren @fairfightaction @nseufot @NewGAProject @AAAJ_Atlanta @GALEOorg @BlackVotersMtr Helen Butler @GeorgiaDemocrat @RebeccaDeHart DuBose Porter @DPGChair. Always John Lewis. Charge any omissions to my head. My heart is full.💙
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) November 6, 2020
However, with the margins between the two candidates so tight, election officials have suggested a recount is almost inevitable.
“With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia," said Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, pointing out that “the final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country".
But irrespective of the final outcome, the race has made clear to Democrats that the once ruby red state is no longer a conservative bastion, and well within their reach.
Mr Biden’s success was fuelled at least in part by a huge surge in turnout among Georgia’s black voters, 87 per cent of whom backed him over Mr Trump.
Ms Abrams hailed a "new Georgia" on Friday as she thanked "those who’ve been in the trenches and deserve the plaudits for change".
In turn, Ms Abrams has been receiving public thanks from politicians and celebrities alike, who have compared the voting rights advocate to her fellow Georgians and activists, Reverend Martin Luther King and congressman John Lewis.
Thank you @staceyabrams for what you made possible in Georgia and throughout this country. The example, the inspiration, the hard work, the selflessness, the generosity towards all who called on you to help. So grateful to and inspired by you.
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 6, 2020
In all seriousness, Stacey Abrams did an incredible thing in GA and across the country. After losing her election due in large part to voter suppression, she continued to organize and work to ensure voting rights to the most disenfranchised people.
— roxane gay (@rgay) November 4, 2020
It now appears likely that Ms Abrams, who was vetted by Mr Biden as a potential running mate, will be given a cabinet role if he takes the White House.
The 46-year-old has not been shy in expressing her interest in higher office.
“As a black woman, especially one from the South, I could not presume that I would get the benefit of the doubt,” she said earlier this year.
“And if I were to diminish my capacity or to declaim the possibility – I’m not doing it just for myself, I’m doing it for every other woman of colour, every other young black woman who has never seen this as a possibility.”
After this week, Ms Abrams’ opponents are unlikely to diminish her capacity ever again.
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