Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said if she does not run for president, she does not plan to endorse another candidate in the contest. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images 2020 elections Stacey Abrams torn between running for president, Senate The Georgia Democrat met Thursday with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who continues to recruit her for a Senate bid.

Stacey Abrams is doing everything a would-be presidential candidate would do: a nationwide book tour, candidate cattle calls and stops on late-night television and morning news shows.

But the Georgia Democrat is also still actively considering a run for a seat in the Senate, and top Democrats continue to court her aggressively for the race. Abrams met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Thursday in Washington, at least her third meeting with the Democratic leader this year.


Abrams told POLITICO in an interview on Thursday evening that Schumer has been "diligent" and "thoughtful" in wooing her to run for Senate, including enlisting allies to help her understand the contours of the job. Abrams said she spent years preparing to run for governor in 2018, a race she narrowly lost, and wanted to give the same forethought to a Senate bid.

"He has been unequivocal in his desire to have me become a candidate for this office," Abrams said of Schumer's persistence.

Meanwhile, Abrams continues to tantalize her supporters with the possibility of a presidential campaign. During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday, co-host Mika Brzezinski told her, "You should jump in" to the race for the White House. When she appeared at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention in New York on Wednesday, speaking alongside a caravan of presidential candidates, the crowd chanted, "Run, Stacey, run."

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The will-she-or-won't-she drama represents one of the last unanswered questions about the 2020 Democratic field, but it could be some time before Abrams makes a final decision. She initially intended to decide on a Senate run by the end of March, but that timeline has slipped as she has toured the country, which has allowed her to develop a national political network. She said she would decide "as soon as possible" — but called it a self-imposed deadline and declined to give a specific date for announcing whether she would challenge first-term GOP Sen. David Perdue.

"Our collective responsibility is to make sure that — regardless of who the candidate is — that Democrats take the Senate," said Abrams, who was in Washington for a speech at an annual gala for EMILY's List, the group that promotes Democratic women who support abortion rights. "That is my commitment, whether I'm the candidate or not."

If she were to pass on a Senate run, Abrams thinks she could wait longer before deciding whether to run for president. She told POLITICO she thought deciding on a presidential run in the fall was a viable option — even if it meant missing the first two primary debates, scheduled for this summer, and losing out on hiring early staff in the initial primary states.

"There are certainly advantages to running early, but there also are advantages to understanding the lay of the land," Abrams said. "Because of the crowded field, that has actually created a bit of an opportunity to do more investigation.

"My responsibility is to analyze it, decide if that's the job for me and how I can win," she added. "I believe based on my understanding of the contours of how to run a presidential race, September is actually an appropriate date."

Abrams said if she does not run for president, she does not plan to endorse another candidate in the contest. She has already met with the vast majority of top-tier Democratic presidential contenders and would be considered one of the party's top potential running mates. Earlier Thursday, Abrams shot down reports that she has already been considered to be former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate.

Democrats also are preparing for the possibility that Abrams passes on a Senate run. Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, Georgia, has taken steps toward a campaign should Abrams pass, though she plans to back Abrams if the 2018 gubernatorial nominee does run. Tomlinson was at the headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Wednesday, where she met with Schumer and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who chairs the campaign arm.

"What we intend to do is to allow Stacey the time that she needs and that she deserves to consider her options," Tomlinson told POLITICO Thursday. "Should she choose something other than U.S. Senate, we have to make sure we have a strong contender for the Democratic nomination here in Georgia — and, of course, my pitch is that I'm ready to go on all that."

Tomlinson on Friday morning filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to create an exploratory committee for the race, but she stressed that she was only "laying the groundwork now should [Abrams] decide not to run."

Abrams committed to helping Democrats in the Senate race even if she passes on running herself.

"We need a better leader, and we need a better senator — and my mission is to make certain that whether I'm the candidate or not, someone takes on this responsibility and that we beat David Perdue in 2020," Abrams said.

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