Stacey Abrams on Wednesday launched a 2022 campaign for Georgia governor, setting up a potential rematch between the former state lawmaker and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in one of the most politically-competitive states in the country.
The voting-rights activist and former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives released an announcement on Twitter where she repeated themes similar to her 2018 campaign, stating that she was running "because opportunity in our state shouldn't be determined by zip code, background or access to power."
—Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) December 1, 2021
The campaign launch will likely assuage nervous Democrats in the Peach State as they seek to retake the governorship that they have not held since former Gov. Roy Barnes left office in 2003.
In 2018, Abrams became the first Black female nominee from a major political party to run for governor in US history. This feat represented a groundbreaking moment not only for Black women, but for Georgia, which for years had been defined by its conservative electorate.
That year, Kemp narrowly defeated Abrams by a 50.2%-48.8% margin, or 1.4 percentage points.
The race represented the smallest margin in a Georgia governor's race since 1966.
Democrats went on to achieve great success in the 2020 — with President Joe Biden winning the state last fall and with the dual elections of Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in 2021.
This is a breaking news post. Check back for updates.