Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams is heading to Virginia this weekend to campaign for Terry McAuliffe as he attempts to win that state’s governorship.
Abrams, who narrowly lost Georgia’s gubernatorial race to Republican Brian Kemp three years ago, will join former President Barack Obama and current First Lady Jill Biden.
McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, is seeking to win back the office in a campaign against first-time candidate Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who has won the endorsement of former president Donald Trump.
Since Virginia law allows governors to serve just one term at a time, incumbent Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam is not eligible to run for reelection.
Since her 2018 loss, Abrams has raised her profile as one of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable figures. She never conceded to Kemp and has continued to raise allegations of voter suppression and intimidation.
She is largely credited with helping Joe Biden win Georgia in a tight 2020 presidential race, as well as turning out Democratic voters to help Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock win both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate races in runoff elections in early January.
Abrams founded Fair Fight, a voting rights organization that has raised more than $100 million since 2018.
In September, Abrams launched a nationwide tour that will take to her to 10 states — Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina — through Nov. 20.
She announced the Stacey Abrams tour on Twitter, saying “I’m looking forward to hitting the road for a series of exciting conversations on politics, leadership and social justice.”
Abrams is widely considered a likely opponent to Kemp’s reelection bid next year but has yet to announce her plans.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
