Greg Bluestein, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 30, 2019

Stacey Abrams said Tuesday that she won’t run for the U.S. Senate in 2020 but left open the possibility she could launch a presidential campaign.

The decision not to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue follows months of speculation about the Democrat’s next political step after her narrow loss in last year’s race for governor.

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It leaves Democrats without their top recruit for the Senate race, which has essentially been frozen while Abrams has deliberated. Republicans, gleeful at her decision, rushed to describe the other potential hopefuls as “second-tier” candidates.

And it opens a new round of scrutiny over whether she will join the growing presidential field or emerge as a White House hopeful’s running mate, a possibility that heightened after she delivered her party’s rebuttal to the State of the Union.

If she doesn’t make a White House run, Abrams is likely to prepare a 2022 rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp, who bested her by about 55,000 votes in a contest marred by allegations of voter suppression. After 10 days of legal wrangling and vote-counting, Abrams ended her campaign but refused to call it a concession.

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While her national image has soared, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed Abrams’ favorability ratings in Georgia have dipped. The poll, released in April, showed about 45% of Georgia voters view her favorably, compared with 52% in January. Her unfavorable rating jumped 5 percentage points to 45%.

‘Friends of Chuck’s

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In January, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered her the Democratic Party’s marquee speaking engagement – its response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address – while he recruited her to challenge Perdue. He was so relentless that Abrams joked about the frequent calls she got from “friends of Chuck.”

{snip} “The Senate is a great institution,” Abrams added. “But, for me, it’s not the role that best suits those needs.”

Even as she closed the door on a Senate run, she pointedly did not rule out a White House bid. She’s stoked that possibility in a string of headline-generating appearances, though she’s issued no firm timeline on her decision.

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