The third time won’t be the charm for Stacey Abrams, at least not in 2026.
The two-time Democratic gubernatorial candidate in battleground Georgia is ruling out another run for governor this year, saying she will instead focus on her work fighting what she warns is the country’s move toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.
“Americans are hurting, but they are ready to take action, and now is the time to reconnect with what is at stake and what is possible,” Abrams said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It is clear to me that the most effective way I can serve now is by continuing to do this important work. For that reason, I will not seek elected office in 2026.”
Abrams, a former Democratic Party leader in Georgia’s state legislature and a nationally known voting rights advocate, narrowly lost to the Republican GOP. Brian Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial election. She lost her 2022 rematch with Kemp by nearly eight points.
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Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last spring that Abrams was considering a third consecutive run for governor in the race to succeed Kemp.
Abrams drew national attention during the 2018 Georgia race and nearly made history as the nation’s first Black female elected governor. Her refusal to concede to Kemp after losing by a razor-thin margin gave her a boost among many Democrats while making her a top political target of the Republican Party.
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She launched the political organization Fair Fight after her defeat, helped Biden narrowly reach Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, and also contributed to the Democrats’ victory in the double Senate runoff election on January 5, 2021.
Abrams raised more than $110 million in fundraising for her 2022 rematch with Kemp, but was soundly defeated by the Republican incumbent.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, who spoke to Fox News Digital during his 2022 re-election campaign, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
In recent years, the political machine that Abrams built has faded. The New Georgia Project, founded by Abrams, folded last year after being fined $300,000 for illegally supporting her 2018 campaign.
And while Abrams last year was considering a 2026 gubernatorial election, other Democratic candidates jumped into the race.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement during former President Joe Biden’s administration, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
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Former lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan is also running for the Democratic nomination. He was elected in 2018 but declined to seek re-election in 2022. The former Republican is now a moderate Democrat. Former state Rep. Ruwa Romman and former Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond are also in the race.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in then-President Joe Biden’s administration, is running for the 2026 Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia. (Getty Images)
In the race for the Republican nomination, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones has the support of President Donald Trump.
The field also includes Georgian Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
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Abrams, in her statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionsaid she will continue to focus on the fight to protect democracy.
“The antidote to authoritarianism and its damaging effects has always been democracy; and I have long believed that democracy requires active involvement and faithful defenders,” she wrote. ‘But democracy is experienced by the vast majority through the work of government – if it fails, we are all in danger.’
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