Stacey Abrams rules out 2026 Georgia governor run after two losses

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 he will instead focus on his job combating what he warns is the country’s slide toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

“Americans are suffering but they are ready to act, 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 right now is to continue doing this important work. That is why I will not be running for elected office in 2026.”

Abrams, the former Democratic Party leader in the Georgia state legislature and a nationally known suffragist, narrowly lost to the Republican Gov. Brian Kemp In the 2018 gubernatorial election. He lost his 2022 rematch with Kemp by almost eight points.

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Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last spring that Abrams was considering running for governor for a third consecutive term in the now narrow race to replace Kemp.

Abrams gained major national attention during the 2018 Georgia race and came close to making history as the nation’s first Black female elected governor. His refusal to concede to Kemp after losing by a razor-thin margin made him stand out among many Democrats while becoming the GOP’s top political target.

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Following his defeat, he founded the Fair Fight political organization, helping Biden narrowly win Georgia in the 2020 presidential election and also contributing to the Democratic win in the twin Senate runoff elections on January 5, 2021.

Abrams raised over $110 million for her 2022 rematch with Kemp, but was dealt a landslide defeat by the Republican incumbent.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, seen speaking to Fox News Digital during the 2022 re-election campaign, is term-limited and will not be able to run for re-election in 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

In recent years, the political machine Abrams built has weakened. The New Georgia Project, which Abrams founded, shut down last year after being fined $300,000 for illegally supporting the 2018 campaign.

Last year, Abrams considered running for governor in 2026, while other Democratic candidates also entered 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 considered a front-runner for the Democratic nomination for governor.

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One of the names vying for the Democratic nomination was former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who 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 in Georgia. (Getty Images)

In the race for the Republican nomination, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has the support of President Donald Trump.

Also on the field are Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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Abrams, in his statement to the press Atlanta Magazine-ConstitutionHe said he would continue to focus on the fight to preserve democracy.

“The antidote to authoritarianism and its ills has always been democracy; and I have long believed that democracy requires active participation and loyal defenders,” he wrote. “But democracy is experienced by the vast majority through the work of government; when it fails, we are all endangered.”