ATLANTA — Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is speaking about her political future for the first time since she delivered the Democratic Party response to the State of the Union last week.
On Monday night, Abrams spoke to a couple of hundred passionate supporters in Gwinnett County -- a county she carried by double digits in Georgia's governor's race last November -- and told them why she is considering running for the U.S. Senate.
"I'm giving very strong consideration to running for the Senate because I think we need a senator that reflects the needs and values of Georgia," Abrams said.
Top Democrats have been feverishly courting Abrams to run against incumbent U.S. Sen. David Perdue, a first-term Republican and former Fortune 500 CEO. If she enters the race, it would instantly become a blockbuster contest that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
Abrams has no shortage of reasons why she regards a losing bid to become Georgia governor as anything but a defeat.
"We won by forcing the other side to fight harder than they’ve ever had before and I’m glad they got a warmup," Abrams said.
During the tour stop Monday, Abrams touted election reform through her new organization "Fair Fight Action" and its importance in next month's MARTA vote in Gwinnett.
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"We know that economic mobility requires actual mobility and we know that we can get MARTA in Gwinnett if we have a fair election in Gwinnett County," Abrams said.
She said there were some well-documented battles between her campaign and local voting officials that highlighted the need for election reform. Even though she won in Gwinnett County -- and Democrats had success there -- she said she wants to carry the momentum with MARTA expansion and ultimately in 2020.
Channel 2's Matt Johnson asked Abrams about pressure from Democrats across the country to run for office again.
"I have an extraordinary set of opportunities before me and my responsibility is to pick the one that makes sense because I’m the right person, it's the right job and it's the right time," Abrams said.
By March, Abrams said she will have decided whether she will run for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats.
Cox Media Group
