Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who lost the Georgia governor's race to Republican Brian Kemp, will deliver the Democratic response to the State of the Union next Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed to reporters that he called Abrams to deliver the address three weeks ago and said she was a "great spokesperson" for the Democratic Party.

"Yes, three weeks ago, I called Stacey Abrams and asked her to deliver the response to the State of the Union. I was very delighted when she agreed, and she is just a great spokesperson. She's an incredible leader. She led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything else."

"If you look at her background, she knows what working people, middle-class people go through," Schumer said. "So yes, I'm very excited that she's agreed to be the respondent to the president and the State of the Union."

Abrams recently has been spotted at restaurants separately with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., both of whom are expected to vie for the Democratic nomination in 2020.