We're less than five weeks away from the midterms, and for Stacey Abrams, that means counting down until her election, for which she is likely to lose again. It doesn't appear that Abrams sees it that way, given her social media posts. Abrams is again facing Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), whom she lost to in the 2018 election.
We are 34 days from destiny.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) October 6, 2022
On Wednesday, Abrams tweeted, "We are 34 days from destiny." Melodramatic social media posts are not the only way in which Abrams is making news, as she's remained cagey about the 2018 election and whether or not she will concede if she loses again.
In a Sunday interview with ABC News' Rachel Scott, Abrams did admit she would "question the process." What she was more aloof about was even more telling.
When directly asked by Scott if she "will commit to conceding if you do not win more votes than Governor Kemp," Abrams offered, "I have always acknowledged the outcome of elections and what is deeply concerning to me is the conflation of access to the right to vote and the outcome of elections. I have never challenged the outcome of the election."
She went on to attempt to reframe the issue, saying, "I clearly stated that he was the victor, and any time I've discussed the outcome, it has always been in the context of what we were able to generate among voters who are used to not being considered a part of the process." Abrams went on to rant about the process, including "new barriers" for the 2022 election, and how "my fight will always be about access."
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In case there's any question about Abrams going away, she emphasized, "I will never be silent about the issues of voter access, because I believe in our democracy and I believe in our right to vote. I do not question the outcome of the election, but I do question the process."
Scott, after letting Abrams rant, pointed out, "I didn't hear an answer to the question." She asked once more, "Will you commit to conceding the election if Governor Kemp does have more votes?"
Abrams' response was that she answered the question. But when Scott pointed out that Abrams had said she wouldn't concede, Abrams shot off, "No, no, no," trying to have it both ways, offering, "What I said in that speech is that I would not concede a system that would not permit voters to be heard."
Q: "Will you commit to conceding if you do not win?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 6, 2022
STACEY ABRAMS: "I have never challenged the outcome of an election."
Q: "I didn't hear an answer to the question."
ABRAMS: "I answered your question." pic.twitter.com/i2zj1pRTTA
The speech that Abrams gave on November 16, referred to by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a "non-concession speech," made clear she was not conceding.
"But to watch an elected official – who claims to represent the people of this state, baldly pin his hopes for election on the suppression of the people's democratic right to vote – has been truly appalling. So, to be clear, this is not a speech of concession," she said right after. "Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede," she said during the speech.
This was after she said, "I acknowledge that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified as the victor in the 2018 gubernatorial election."
Also this week, Abrams appeared on CNN's "Erin Burnett Outfront." During the Monday episode, she claimed, speaking about the 2018 election, "I have never denied the outcome. I have always questioned the process and the access. And I think it's dangerous and disingenuous to conflate concerns about access to concerns about outcome. Outcome is about who wins. And no one is entitled to victory, including myself. I have never been unclear about the fact that I did not win the race. But access belongs to every eligible American. And it is incumbent upon every person at every level of government and in our society to demand that equal access to the right to vote be made available in this country. And that's what I continue to fight for."
Last night, Stacey Abrams claimed she “never denied the outcome” of her 2018 loss.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 4, 2022
But Abrams repeatedly said she “won” and the race was “stolen.”
ROLL THE TAPE. pic.twitter.com/4PEHWg5YZY
As it turns out, Abrams certainly has had a pattern of this behavior.
Abrams announced on December 1 of last year that she was running again. That same week, she gave media interviews in which she similarly misled about whether she conceded.
She told CNN's Brianna Keilar, "I, on November 16th, 2018, acknowledged at the top of my speech that Brian Kemp is the governor of Georgia. I even wished him well at the end of the speech. And in the middle, I talked about the fact that we had a system that he managed and manipulated that hurt Georgia voters. And the responsibility of leaders is to challenge systems that are not serving the people. My responsibility was not to try and make myself governor, I have been very well aware for three years I am not the governor of Georgia."
She had a similar response when asked if Kemp was legitimately elected, responding, "He won under the rules of the game at the time. But the game was rigged against the voters of Georgia." She went on to say, "And so, yes, he became the governor. And we have watched him fail for three years."
Abrams had a similar discussion with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "On the night on the 16th of November when I acknowledged I would not become governor, that he had won the election, I did not challenge the outcome of the election unlike some recent folks did. What I said was that the system was not fair," she complained.
A piece from April 28, 2019, that David Marchese wrote for The New York Times addressed "Why Stacey Abrams is still saying she won."
Also, in 2019, Matt highlighted how Abrams claimed, "We don't have to concede elections anymore."
In the months before announcing her bid, Abrams campaigned with former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA). Abrams' comments about her 2018 election, as well as McAuliffe's comments about the 2000 presidential election, were front-and-center. This is especially since McAuliffe accused Glenn Youngkin of "refus[ing] to let go of Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories" because Youngkin made election integrity a priority.
McAuliffe himself bought into Abrams' election denying. It was enough for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to author a piece for RealClearPolitics on October 21 last year, warning about "The Danger of the McAuliffe-Abrams Stolen Election Claims."
During a rally on October 24 last year, McAuliffe claimed Abrams "would be the governor of Georgia today had the governor of Georgia not disenfranchised 1.4 million Georgia voters before the election. That's what happened to Stacey Abrams. They took the votes away."
Youngkin went on to beat McAuliffe last November.
Forecasters and polling indicate that Kemp will likely win again. The race is considered "Lean Republican" or "Likely Republican," and Kemp has an average of a +6.4 lead in the polls, according to RealClearPolitics.
