Rising star credited for success in Georgia
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 had taken in the state.
Ms Abrams first made national headlines with her surprisingly strong show in the 2018 gubernatorial race. Despite narrowly losing to Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate, 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 10 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 non-profit, Fair Fight, to turnout the vote in targeted areas.
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 that many Democrats believe has led to the party’s surprise success in the state.
With more than 98 per cent of the count completed last night, Mr Biden led Donald Trump in Georgia by a little more than 1,500 votes.
If he maintains his lead, Mr Biden will be the first Democrat to win the state and its 16 electoral votes since Bill Clinton in 1992. However, election officials have suggested a recount is almost inevitable.
“With a margin that small, there will be a recount,” said Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, pointing out that “the final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country”.
Mr Biden’s success was fuelled in part by a huge surge in turnout among Georgia’s black voters, 87 per cent of whom backed him. Ms Abrams hailed a “new Georgia” yesterday as she thanked “those who’ve been in the trenches and deserve the plaudits for change”.
In turn, she has been receiving thanks from politicians and celebrities, who have compared the voting rights advocate to her fellow Georgians and activists, Martin Luther King Jr and John Lewis, the late congressman.
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.”
After this week, her opponents are unlikely to diminish her capacity again.