Challenges in the Life of Stacey Abrams in a Detailed Timeline
A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Stacey Abrams's life and career.
Stacey Abrams is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author prominent in Georgia politics. She served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, becoming minority leader in 2011. In 2018, she founded Fair Fight Action, an organization dedicated to combating voter suppression. Abrams is widely recognized for her work to increase voter turnout, particularly in Georgia, and her efforts are credited with contributing to Democratic victories in the 2020 presidential election and the 2020-21 Senate elections, which ultimately gave the Democratic Party control of the Senate.
2012: Voter Registration Cancellations Begin
Between 2012 and 2018, Kemp's office cancelled over 1.4 million voter registrations.
2015: Deferred Taxes
Abrams deferred her 2015 taxes, which she stated was necessary to help with her family's medical bills.
2016: Deferred Taxes
Abrams deferred her 2016 taxes, which she stated was necessary to help with her family's medical bills.
July 2017: Voter Registration Cancellations
In July 2017, half a million voters had their registrations canceled in Georgia, under the watch of Secretary of State Kemp.
2017: Voter Registration Purge
In 2017, Kemp, as secretary of state, purged nearly 670,000 voter registrations, which Abrams argued suppressed turnout and created a conflict of interest.
April 2018: Op-Ed on Debt
In April 2018, Abrams revealed she owed $54,000 in federal back taxes and $174,000 in debt in an op-ed for Fortune.
October 2018: Voter Registration Applications on Hold
In early October 2018, more than 53,000 voter registration applications were put on hold by Kemp's office, with over 75% belonging to minorities.
November 6, 2018: Lost Election for Governor
On November 6, 2018, Stacey Abrams lost the election for governor of Georgia by 54,723 votes.
November 9, 2018: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Investigation Findings
On November 9, 2018, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the findings of its investigation into the 2018 Georgia elections, stating there was no evidence of systematic malfeasance or enough tainted votes to force a runoff election.
December 2018: Fair Fight Lawsuit Initiated
In December 2018, Fair Fight Action's lawsuit was initiated, alleging long lines, voter ID rules impacting minorities, improper voter roll maintenance, and inadequate poll worker training.
2018: Voter Registration Cancellations
Between 2012 and 2018, Kemp's office cancelled over 1.4 million voter registrations.
2018: Gubernatorial Nominee
In 2018, Stacey Abrams became the Democratic nominee in the Georgia gubernatorial election, marking her as the first African-American female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the United States; she narrowly lost the election to Brian Kemp.
2018: Accusations of Voter Suppression
In 2018, during the election between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp, Kemp was accused of voter suppression in his role as Georgia's secretary of state.
April 30, 2019: Abrams Declines to Run for U.S. Senate
On April 30, 2019, Abrams announced that she would not run for the U.S. Senate in 2020, despite recruitment efforts, citing a need to focus on ending voter suppression.
December 2020: Voting Machines Claims Dropped
In December 2020, Fair Fight dropped the claims about voting machines, around the time that Donald Trump made baseless claims about voting machine problems in Georgia.
2020: Declines to Run for Senate
In 2020, Abrams declined to run for the U.S. Senate, citing a need to focus on ending voter suppression.
2020: Cybercrimes Investigation
In 2020, two days before the election, Kemp's office announced an investigation into the Georgia Democratic Party for unspecified "possible cybercrimes," which were later found to be false.
February 2021: Federal Judge Ruling
In February 2021, a federal judge ruled that Fair Fight's claims were resolved by changes in Georgia's election law or invalidated due to lack of standing to sue.
April 2021: Legal Claims Proceed
In April 2021, a judge allowed some claims in the legal challenge to proceed while rejecting others.
October 2022: Federal Judge Ruled Against Fair Fight
In October 2022, a federal judge ruled against Fair Fight on the remaining claims.
November 8, 2022: Abrams Loses Election to Kemp
On November 8, 2022, Abrams lost the election to Brian Kemp for governor of Georgia and conceded that night.
2022: Second Gubernatorial Run
In 2022, Stacey Abrams ran for governor of Georgia for a second time as the Democratic nominee, but lost to Brian Kemp by a larger margin than in 2018.
