The Atlantic

Read Stacey Abrams’s Rebuttal to the State of the Union Address

The former candidate for Georgia governor is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party.
Source: Leah Millis / Reuters

Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic Party’s official rebuttal to the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Considered a rising star in the party, Abrams ran for governor in Georgia last year, before losing to the Republican Brian Kemp, and is currently weighing another bid for higher office.

Below, the full text of her remarks as delivered.


Good evening, my fellow Americans, and happy Lunar New Year. I’m Stacey Abrams, and I’m honored to join the conversation about the state of our union.

Growing up, my family went back and forth between lower middle class and working class, yet even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way to show us all who we could be. My librarian mother taught us to love learning. My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra shifts, and they made sure we volunteered to help others. Later, they both became United Methodist ministers, an expression of the

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