The state of Georgia has played an essential role in Joe Biden’s path toward the presidency. As more mail-in ballots were counted overnight, Biden overtook President Donald Trump’s lead in the Southern state. According to FiveThirtyEight, he is now ahead of Trump by 1.2 points, and while Georgia’s Secretary of State has just announced there will be a recount, it’s unlikely to change very much. This is the first time a Democrat has won Georgia in almost 30 years — and that is far from a coincidence. For this historic win, we can thank the tireless work of Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate who ushered in a new coalition of Democratic voters who were key to Biden’s success.
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Over the past few years, Abrams has championed voting rights throughout the state. In 2013, Abrams started The New Georgia Project, a non-partisan organization centered around voter registration and civic engagement for residents. Five years later — after Abrams’ highly publicized 2018 loss to Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who has been accused of voter suppression and violating the Voting Rights Act during his campaign — Abrams founded Fair Fight, a PAC focused on voter suppression and fair elections.
So many deserve credit for 10yrs to new Georgia: @gwlauren @fairfightaction @nseufot @NewGAProject @AAAJ_Atlanta @GALEOorg @BlackVotersMtr Helen Butler @GeorgiaDemocrat @RebeccaDeHart DuBose Porter @DPGChair. Always John Lewis. Charge any omissions to my head. My heart is full.💙
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) November 6, 2020
In an interview with USA Today, the progressive leader spoke about her passion behind the nonprofit, “Our goal through Fair Fight and Fair Fight 2020 is to ensure that people know about the obstacles that are being placed in their way, but (are encouraged to) vote in even larger numbers to overwhelm the intention of the system.” Georgia’s historical turnout in this election is undoubtedly due to her advocacy around voting engagement and registration in the state. It’s all there in The Abrams Playbook, a 16-page document she created with Lauren Groh-Wargo, her former campaign manager, for Democrats to implement a strategic path to victory in the state.
It’s the final votes from Clayton County, which was represented in Congress by the late U.S. Representative John Lewis and is now represented by Nikema Williams, that helped Biden maintain his lead over Trump. Lewis, who passed away on July 17, was a civil rights and racial justice hero whose legacy impacted the social and political landscape of Georgia. During impeachment proceedings, Lewis said, “The future of our democracy is at stake” and called out the administration for its “complete disdain and disregard for ethics, for the law, and for the Constitution.”
Abrams, an admirer and student of Lewis, tweeted a statement on the day of his death, “God has welcomed @repjohnlewis home. Defender of justice. Champion of right. Our conscience, he was a griot of this modern age, one who saw its hatred but fought ever towards the light. And never once did he begrudge sharing its beauty. I loved him & will miss him. #JohnLewis.”
Without the political legacies of John Lewis and Stacey Abrams, Georgia would not be blue.