Stacey Abrams Thinks of Her Work and Career as a ‘Highway’

Previously serving as minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, she is best known for her work in voting rights activism in a state that has struggled with voter suppression for years and helped turn Georgia blue in 2020 .She lost two gubernatorial runs against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also currently holds no office. But she doesn’t let that slow her down.

“I know what my ultimate goal is with my work, but it’s a highway,” Abrams explained onstage Wednesday opposite. Of luck Diane Brady at the Impact Initiative Conference. “It’s my job to choose the lane that gets me where I need to go—and to be able to switch lanes based on obstacles and needs.”

At this point, Abrams sees the strongest utility in her activism. But she said she was not considering a return to elected office, saying she would “of course” run again.

“Politics should be a tool for the politics you want,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s all too often the other way around. But I am always very clear that politics is something I do; politics is why I do it.”

She is currently focused on advocating for voting rights, particularly in her home state. She breaks down the problem into three main questions: Can you register? Can you vote? And is the ballot counted? “Any time the ability to vote depends on who is in office, democracy is put at risk,” she said.

Asked if she had any idea which way next month’s presidential election would go, Abrams declined. But he was clear that he believes America is “on the verge” of descending into autocracy, which he said is the natural endpoint of a system without voting infrastructure.

“Georgia is a purple state — you have to fight (for) every election,” she said. “We know it will be a close election – a toss-up. It’s a question of who is doing the work to bring in voters.”