On Thursday, after announcing that she would run to become Georgia's next governor in 2022, she blasted her onetime opponent, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, as a "failed leader."
During an appearance on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," the former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives said that she is running to lead the state again because she wants to see its government.
She believes that we have the ability to be an extraordinary place for families to grow, and that we have a failed leader who is currently occupying the office.
My mission is service. You have to care for people. You have to care for them all. In the three years since the last election, I've spent my time doing what I can to serve Georgia.
She pointed to her work in helping to send goods to food banks, as well as her work in expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines, which helped relieve the medical debt of 108,000 people in Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
I've tried to serve the people of Georgia. To serve Georgia the best way is to run for governor and take that job and do what we can. It is necessary for every Georgian to be served and to create one Georgia.
The first Black female nominee from a major political party ran for governor.
Kemp was the Secretary of State who oversaw elections and ran close toAbrams in the polls.
Kemp narrowly defeated Abrams by a margin of just over 4%.
The Democratic candidate clashed with Kemp over his role in removing voters from the rolls in his previous position, and has long contended that the process did not serve Georgia voters well.
While she conceded that she wouldn't be moving into the Governor's Mansion until after the election, she excoriated Kemp for running for the state's highest office.
She said at the time that it was "appalling" to watch an elected official who claimed to represent the people in this state pin his hopes for election on suppression of the people's democratic right to vote.
On Wednesday, Kemp blasted his former opponent's entry into the race, saying that Georgia would have shut down and students would have been barred from their classrooms if she were in charge.
There is a chance that Kemp could face a Republican challenger next year.
The governor has become persona non grata among conservatives because of his refusal to help Donald Trump overturn Joe Biden's electoral victory in the state.
According to multiple reports, Trump is trying to get David Perdue to run for governor.
