Stacey Abrams has had a long and storied political career, but it’s not over yet.
A former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, she is recognized for her work in the voting rights movement in the state, which has fought voter suppression for years, and for her role in turning Georgia blue in 2020. best known for. She lost twice in gubernatorial races. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is currently unemployed. But she doesn’t let that slow her down.
“I know what the end goal of my job is, and it’s a highway,” Abrams explained Wednesday on stage opposite Fortune’s Diane Brady at the Impact Initiative Conference. “My job is to choose a lane to get to a destination and be able to change lanes based on obstacles or needs.”
Ms. Abrams now believes that her activism has the greatest benefit. But she has not considered the possibility of returning to elected office, saying “of course” she would run again.
“Politics should be a tool to implement the policies you want,” she says. “Unfortunately, the opposite is too often the case. But I’ve always made it clear that politics is what I do. Policy is why I do it.”
She is currently focused on defending voting rights, especially in her home state. She breaks down the problem into three main questions. “Can I register?” Can I vote? And will votes be counted? “Anytime you can vote or not depend on who is in power, democracy is at risk,” she says.
Asked if he knew which way next month’s presidential election would go, Abrams demurred. But she made it clear that she believes the U.S. is “on the brink” of descending into autocracy, which she said is the natural endpoint of a system without voting infrastructure.
“Georgia is a purple state. We have to fight every election,” she said. “We know it’s going to be a close election, a very close election. The question is who will do the work of recruiting voters.”
