Abrams, Stacey (1973-…), is an American politician, lawyer, and author. In 2010, Abrams was chosen by the Democratic Party to serve as minority leader in the House of Representatives of Georgia. She became the first woman to serve as leader of either party in the Georgia General Assembly, the state’s legislature. In 2018, Abrams became the first Black woman nominated by a major political party to run for governor of Georgia.
Stacey Yvonne Abrams was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on Dec. 9, 1973. She grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi. When Abrams was 16 years old, her family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. In 1991, Abrams graduated from Avondale High School, where she became the school’s first Black valedictorian. The valedictorian is the graduate with the highest marks. In 1995, she graduated magna cum laude (with great honor) from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies. The major combined political science, economics, and sociology. She then attended the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a master’s degree in public policy in 1998. The next year, Abrams earned her J.D. degree from the law school of Yale University.
After graduating from law school, Abrams began working at a law firm in Atlanta. In 2003, she started her career in government. She became the deputy attorney for the city of Atlanta’s law department. In 2006, Abrams was elected to Georgia’s House of Representatives from the state’s 84th district.
After four years as a representative, Abrams was selected as house minority leader. In 2018, she ran for governor of Georgia. In the primary election, Abrams defeated the Democrat Stacey Evans. But in the general election, she was narrowly defeated by the Republican candidate, Brian Kemp. Abrams became the Democratic nominee for governor a second time in 2022. But she lost again to Kemp in the general election.
In addition to holding political office, Abrams has founded several political organizations. In 2014, she founded the New Georgia Project to counteract challenges to voter rights and increased barriers to voter registration. In 2018, she founded Fair Fight, an organization promoting voter education and fair elections.
Abrams has written a number of books. Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change (2018) serves as both a memoir and a work of advice to aspiring leaders. Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America (2020) outlines a plan for ending voter suppression and empowering American citizens. Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, she wrote a series of romantic suspense novels, published from 2001 to 2009. Abrams also wrote the legal thriller While Justice Sleeps (2021).
