Abrams builds massive political network ahead of 2020 decision

Stacey Abrams is set to reveal soon whether she’ll run for president or senator or something else. But in recent months, the Democrat has mounted a nationwide, largely below-the-radar effort to expand her donor and political network that will make her an instant force whatever she decides. Abrams has traversed the country meeting with top Democrats since her narrow loss in the Georgia governor’s race. She’s met with every leading candidate for president, and become a regular draw on the big-ticket fundraising circuit, donors and fundraisers told POLITICO. Abrams headlined major donor events for the Democratic National Committee, the progressive donor collaborative Way to Win and former Sen. Barbara Boxer in recent months, and has discussed her political future with top Democratic donors. At the reception for Abrams hosted by Boxer, held at a five-star Beverly Hills hotel in late February, local Democratic leaders and entertainment industry donors heard her talk about her work against voter suppression and about her brother’s struggle with addiction. After the event, she was mobbed by attendees. “We must have had several hundred people there but everyone felt she was speaking to them,” Boxer told POLITICO. “I think every single person in that room will help Stacey with whatever it is she wants to do.” Abrams has said publicly she’s considering running for Senate against first-term Republican Sen. David Perdue, but at the same time hasn’t ruled out running for president. The flurry of attention over a potential presidential bid shows how she’s catapulted in the past year from a little-known Democrat locked in a competitive primary for governor to star status in national Democratic politics. In contrast to Beto O’Rourke, who wrote Medium posts and took a road trip after his loss, Abrams has been keenly focused on the nuts and bolts of building her political base. She’s attended dozens of events across the country, according to descriptions of her itinerary from sources close to Abrams and others who’ve spoken with her. She also drew high marks for her performance delivering Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech in February. All the while, Abrams, who maintains a spreadsheet of her life ambitions, has stoked the buzz surrounding her next move by taking meetings with national figures from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to former Vice President Joe Biden. Abrams is well aware of the intrigue and knows that even amid the early jostling among Democratic presidential candidates, there is a spotlight on her. She is taking advantage of the interest to expand her network and make new connections that will help her regardless of her next steps, according to allies and advisers. Abrams has discussed her options with some top Democratic contributors. “I’m trying to encourage her to run for the Senate, and I’m hoping she will,” said Elizabeth Bagley, a major Democratic donor and former ambassador to Portugal who spoke recently to Abrams. “She’s amazing. So bright, very personable, very strategic.” Abrams started to assemble a national network ahead of her run for governor through the New Georgia Project, a nonprofit she formed that’s focused on voter registration and engagement. She courted donors, including George Soros, who aided her campaign for governor. Since her loss, Abrams has spoken at events ranging from a Lesbians Who Tech conference in San Francisco to the Bloomberg Equality Summit in New York and an upcoming sit-down with Valerie Jarrett, the former adviser to Barack Obama. She has also done events to boost her profile beyond the political bubble, with stops in places including Oxford, England, and an ideas summit for TV writers in Los Angeles that featured celebrities including John Legend. In December, Abrams was a keynote speaker at a conference hosted by Way to Win, a collective of progressive donors focused on turning Southern states blue that spent $22 million last cycle. Two hundred people attended the event in Manhattan Beach, Calif. “I think that Democrats would be hard-pressed to do better,” said Tory Gavito, co-founder of Way to Win. “Having a leader like her really stands for big ideas across these states, both in the emerging South, and in Southwest states like Arizona, Texas and Georgia.” Throughout her national travels, Abrams has attempted to draw attention to her mission on voting rights and her gubernatorial race. “Wherever she goes, she shares the stories of those who faced these suppressive tactics with new audiences,” said Caitlin Highland, an Abrams spokeswoman. Republicans say Abrams’ national activities could haunt her back home if she runs for Senate. Her out-of-state travel has drawn scrutiny from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which ran a video series titled “Where in the World is Stacey Abrams?” “As best I can tell she’s waiting on one more position to come open, emperor, and see if that fits her taste,” said Georgia Republican Party Chairman John Watson. “Stacey is on the national circuit. If that’s the game she wants to play, that’s up to her. We’re focused on Georgia priorities, Georgia people, getting our grassroots and fundraising up to pace.” Democrats, however, don’t think it will hurt her. “Stacey is a national figure at this point, I don’t think there’s anything to do to change that,” said Jason Carter, Democrats’ 2014 gubernatorial nominee in Georgia. “I don’t think it was a negative when she ran for governor. There’s certainly no downside.” Democrats in Washington want Abrams to run for Senate, viewing her as the best option to put the state in play. She’s met with Schumer several times, most recently last week. But even as she raises her national profile, Abrams has kept a steady presence in Georgia, too. She spoke at an Asian Americans Advancing Justice conference in Atlanta in March and attended an Atlanta Hawks event dedicated to supporting cancer awareness and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in February. She’s done nearly a half-dozen “thank you” events for supporters of her gubernatorial race across the state — the final one is on Sunday. Bianca Keaton, head of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, hosted an event for Abrams last month in Duluth, Ga., just outside Atlanta. Keaton said Georgia Democrats are split over what they’d like to see Abrams do: Some argue she should run for president, others want her to take on Perdue. Keaton herself is agnostic. “I just want her on my ballot in 2020,” she said. 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