If Georgia Turns Blue We Have Stacey Abrams To Thank

If Biden wins Georgia, Stacey Abrams should get a big, fat thank you bouquet

It’s been 28 years since historically conservative Georgia’s electoral votes went to a Democratic presidential candidate. But now the state tips blue because of Stacey Abrams’ monumental work. If Vice President Joe Biden can keep his narrow lead against President Trump, the Democrats will bank over 2.4 million votes, up from slightly less than 1.9 million for Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016.

Let’s make those flowers roses. And we’ll sign the card, Couldn’t have done it without you — because that’s the truth.

But let’s go back to the beginning, or the end, depending on your point of view. The former Georgia state representative rose to national attention when she lost the gubernatorial race against Brian Kemp. Before the election, Kemp, at the time Georgia’s secretary of state, cancelled more than a million voter registrations, most of which belonged to Black voters. In an eyebrow raising move, Kemp refused to step down, then used his position as secretary of state to certify his win.

After Abrams lost by only 55,000 votes, when any other mortal would have stress eaten cupcakes before brushing up her resume, she created the nonprofit Fair Fight to confront voter suppression. Since the organization’s creation in 2018, Fair Fight registered approximately 800,000 new voters, 49% of which are people of color. The movement also ended the exact match policy, the strict requirement of voter registrations to mirror licenses, down to hyphens, accent marks, and middle initials instead of middle names.

Abrams’ focus on voters disenfranchised by voter suppression is the special sauce in the 2020 presidential election. To put it another way: Stacey Abrams went from sitting on the bench to becoming America’s MVP.

The push also tightens a national battle for control of the Senate, where Georgia Democrats will now face a runoff election against their Republican counterparts on January 5. Fingers crossed and salt over your shoulder, if the Democrats win by both candidates would create a 50-50 tie in the Senate, giving the tie-breaking vote to the vice president.

Only 48 hours after election day, the Twitterverse hailed Abrams’ work to both register and get people to the polls. Activist Jemele Hill used a clip from the Avengers to show her appreciation.

Others praised Abrams’ focused messaging to voters. Reporter Christiane Amanpour tweeted, “@staceyabrams is getting plaudits for her role in registering vital Democratic voters in this election. In our last interview she offered her advice for voters, ‘Number one don’t panic…Number two, make a plan to vote and make it early.’”

Twitter user Jessica Fyre used humor to praise Abrams, using a modified screenshot of the film Mean Girls. “Get in, loser,” the tweet read. “We’re flipping Georgia.”

Some suggested Abrams could lead the next generation of Democrats. “If she wants it, Stacey could be the next DNC chair,” organizer Rachel R. Gonzalez tweeted.

Ever humble, as the platform’s users praised her work, Abrams took to Twitter to shout out her colleagues. “So many deserve credit,” she tweeted. “My heart is full.”