Stacey Abrams to give Democratic response to State of the Union

Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.

Abrams drew national attention as the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor in a contested race against Brian Kemp. Abrams eventually conceded, but blasted Kemp, who was secretary of state, for how he handled the election and said he pushed suppressed voter suppression efforts.

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Although she lost the race, Abrams is viewed as a rising star in the party. Most recently, Democrats have pushed her to consider running in Georgia’s 2020 Senate race against Republican Sen. David Perdue. She recently met with Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) about the 2020 race.

At a press conference, Schumer said he asked Abrams three weeks ago and is “very excited” that she agreed to deliver the Democratic rebuttal.

“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,” Schumer said.

Trump is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address on Feb. 5.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) re-invited Trump to deliver the address Monday after rescinding his invitation amid the government shutdown, citing security concerns.