Stacey Abrams Will Give Democratic Response to Trump’s State of the Union

Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's upcoming state of the union address, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confirmed on Tuesday.

The senator said that he asked the Georgia Democrat to deliver it three weeks ago.

“I was very delighted when she agreed,” Schumer told reporters. “She is just a great spokesperson. She’s an incredible leader. She has led the charge for voting rights which is at the root of just about everything else.”

Abrams commented in a subsequent tweet: “At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response.”

The former Georgia House of Representatives’ minority leader narrowly lost in the state’s gubernatorial race last year to Republican nominee Brian Kemp. The election was mired in accusations of voter irregularities and Kemp’s conflict of interest in his retaining a position as Georgia secretary of state—which oversees the state’s voting—throughout the campaign.

Abrams, the first major party African-American female gubernatorial nominee, has been viewed as a rising star within the Democratic Party before and after her run.

Earlier this month, Abrams reportedly met with Schumer to discuss the possibility of challenging incumbent Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), who is up for re-election in 2020.

“What I am trying to do is decide what’s the right job, am I right person and is this the right time,” she told The Washington Post in a recent interview. “It is easy to run for office because an office is available but that is not my approach. My goal is to be the person who has the right skills and capacity to do the work, and that the work I want to do creates the change I want to see.”

Trump will deliver his address on Feb. 5 after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed the planned speech until the government shutdown ended.