Stacey Abrams: The Nation’s First Black Female Governor?

On Tuesday night, candidate Stacey Abrams won the Georgia Democratic primary for governor, defeating Stacey Evans in what has been referred to as the ‘Battle of the Staceys’. Abrams’ win has already made history, since she has become the first female black candidate to win a nomination for governor from a major political party,

And this upcoming November, she could become the first black female governor in the United States.

Abrams had about 70 percent of the state’s votes; 270,894 against Evans’ 87,743.

During her victory speech, Abrams stated: “Together, we will shape a future with boundless belief and historic investment in our children at the core of every decision we make”.

The GOP also held it’s primary elections on Tuesday, with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle having the clear lead among the five Republican candidates. However, he was not able to avoid a run-off against Georgia’s Secretary of State Brian Kemp. That vote will take place on July 24th.

The run-off has given Abrams a heads-up on the general election. Stacey Evans, meanwhile, was eager to show her support for Abrams after her win, calling for the Democratic party to find a voice against Donald Trump. Abrams’ win has continued an existing dialogue within the party about whether it is a priority to win back votes from white individuals that may have swung to a different party, or to focus on winning votes from minorities and younger voters. In this context, Evans has been a notable figure, since she has worked for years to turn the state blue.

And in the South, black women have been currently pressing for a more significant presence in the party. A spokesperson for the Working Families Party (which supported Abrams during her campaign), stated that she is redefining what is considered possible in American politics.

Georgia was already leaning toward the Democratic party, with the 2016 election results being quite close between the two candidates.

This year’s Georgia gubernatorial primaries have caused a lot of attention in the news, not only due to Abrams’ presence, but also because of the Republican party’s ad campaign. These ads were quite insensitive toward illegal immigration. Cagle’s ads featured tattooed MS-13 gang members, and Kemp’s featured what he called his “big truck” to deport illegal citizens. Another candidate, Michael Williams, used a “deportation bus” as his bus tour. In all of these ads, candidates appeared quite proud of their offensive mindsets.

Additionally, Kentucky has made the news for its election results. In their Democratic primary, former marine pilot Amy McGrath defeated Jim Gray—the first openly-gay mayor in Lexington city. McGrath gained voters in part because of a viral ad where she displayed her struggle for achieving the right of flying in the marine as a woman pilot.

The GOP’s elections were also topic of debate. Travis Brenda, a former math high school teacher, was able to defeat Kentucky House Majority Leader Jonathan Shell. Shell had established himself as an important politician in the state, but Brenda gained support by way of the recent protests on education budget cuts.

Featured Image via: Flickr/LBJ School