On Tuesday, 2018 Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams announced that she would not challenge GOP Sen. David Perdue.
National Democrats tried hard to recruit Abrams, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer even designated her to give the party’s response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union. However, Abrams said this week that she wanted an executive role, and that the Senate is “not the role that best suits those needs.” Abrams is still considering a 2020 presidential bid or a 2022 rematch against GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.
A number of Georgia Democrats had been considering running for the Senate if Abrams sat the contest out. They include former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who formed an exploratory committee in early April, and Jon Ossoff, who was the Democratic nominee in the ultra-expensive 2017 special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. We may also see more local politicians express interest now that they know Abrams isn’t running. Senate Democrats also aren’t going to give up targeting Georgia, which favored Trump by a modest 50-45 spread.
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