Stacy Abrams Says She’ll Be President By 2040, If Not Sooner

Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial nominee whose name has been floated as a possible Democratic vice presidential pick, predicted in an interview published Friday that she will become president within the next two decades.

After Abrams said she “absolutely” believed Americans would send a black woman to the Oval Office in the next 20 years, journalist Clare Malone of FiveThirtyEight asked: “Do you think they’ll elect you?”

“Yes. I do,” Abrams responded. “That’s my plan. And I’m very pragmatic.”

The declaration from Abrams, a former Georgia state representative, adds to the political intrigue and professional speculation surrounding one of the Democratic Party’s most rapidly ascending stars. Abrams, who lost a close 2018 race to be governor of Georgia, has been mentioned by several White House hopefuls as a potential running mate.

Prior to her declaration Friday that she will seek the presidency before 2040, Abrams said in a March interview that 2028 “would be the earliest I would be ready to stand for president." In a subsequent tweet, however, she wrote that “2020 is definitely on the table” — a run she has since ruled out.

In August, Abrams announced she would not enter the current Democratic primary and would instead focus her efforts on combating voter suppression and boosting participation in the 2020 census. But she also said in an interview that same month that she would be “honored to be considered by any nominee” as a vice presidential contender.

Democrat Stacey Abrams, who lost the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election to Republican Brian Kemp, said in an interview released Friday that she has a "plan" to be president of the United States by 2040.

In the FiveThirtyEight interview, part of a series of stories about women running for office, Abrams discusses how race and gender played a role in her failed run for governor and the rumors that she could be a vice presidential candidate. But it was her comments about an even higher office that grabbed the most attention. 

"Do you think the country will elect a woman president in the next 20 years?" asked reporter Clare Malone.

"Yes, absolutely," Abrams replied flatly.

"Do you think it will elect a black woman?" Malone asked.

"Yes, absolutely," Abrams said.

"Do you think they'll elect you?"

"Yes, I do. That's my plan. And I'm very pragmatic," Abrams replied as Malone chuckled.

Abrams has never held an office higher than a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives, although she did spend several years as a member of the Democratic leadership of that body. Abrams gained national fame for her contentious election against Kemp in 2018 — a race that was seen as a potential bellwether for Republicans in right-leaning states nationwide during what was a wave election year for Democrats. 

She gained even further notoriety for refusing to concede the race after she lost, questioning the legitimacy of the result.

"Despite the final tally and the inauguration [of Gov. Brian Kemp] and the situation we find ourselves in, I do have a very affirmative statement to make: We won," she told the crowd at the annual convention of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network last April.

Abrams and Democrats accused Kemp, the then-Secretary of State, of voter suppression for purging inactive voter registrations from voter rolls. Kemp responded that his office "conduct[s] regular list maintenance of voter rolls to ensure election integrity," as required by federal and state law.

The former lawmaker has still not conceded the election and has indicated that she does not plan to.

"We don’t have to concede elections anymore, because when we concede, we are condoning systems that are used to oppress us," she said last May according to the Texas Tribune.