Stacey Abrams celebrates historic Black women governors while warning Democrats against inaction

Stacey Abrams celebrates historic election victories while reminding voters the fight for change and democracy is far from over.

Last night, Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms shared that her historic win stands on the shoulders of her ancestors. And in addition to her family’s Black Georgian lineage, Bottoms’ win sits on the shoulders of generations of Black political trailblazers, particularly former Rep. Stacey Abrams. 

After serving on the Georgia House of Representatives for 10 years, Abrams made history as the first Black woman to win a Georgia Democratic Party nomination for governor in 2018 and again in 2022. Though her gubernatorial campaigns were not victorious, the strides Abrams made in breaking barriers for Black women to even be on the ballot for governor races in the United States laid the groundwork for the success Bottoms saw last night. 

“Last night’s victories in the South, in the Sunbelt, and across the country transformed what we imagine for America,” Abrams wrote. “No candidate, community, state or region should ever be counted out.”

And as Americans watched voters elect not one but two Black women to the governorships of Georgia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, many pointed to the continued impact of Abrams’ first attempt to become the country’s first Black woman governor, ever, and her continued advocacy for voter rights. 

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Congratulating Bottoms on “making history tonight,” Abrams emphasized that Georgians’ decision was for a “brighter direction” for the state. However, as she celebrated the wins of Bottoms, Jon Ossoff, and the many other Democratic candidates who ended election night victorious, the former Georgia representative explained the broader impact of these wins and the work that has yet to be done. 

“The victory we seek is not merely an election; it is a reclamation of our power and our voices – and that requires bold action by our newly elected leaders and persistent, lasting engagement by the Americans who voted in the millions for change,” she noted. “From coast to coast, voters – newly activated and seasoned veterans – spoke with clarity.”

“Democrats must now govern courageously. We know Republicans will use their remaining bastions of power to try to block progress and subvert future elections. They will argue for caution where they chose ambition. They will urge timidity in a time of economic and moral crisis. We cannot abide inaction when our lives hang in the balance,” she continued.

Through Trump’s election and re-election, Abrams has cautioned communities about the threats to democracy, particularly through the 10 Steps campaign. Designed to combat the 10 steps to autocracy the Trump administration appears to be following, Abrams’ campaign outlines 10 steps to freedom and power, giving people a path forward to defeat authoritarianism. 

“As we have been warning at the 10 Steps Campaign, very soon, this fight against authoritarianism will move to the states and the courts, and our efforts must evolve to meet these ongoing threats to our democracy, she concluded. “If we hold to the audacity of shared power used to deliver, we will be ready. Onward, my friends.”

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