With talk of a possible bid for the U.S. Senate in 2020, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams has been tapped by Democratic leaders in Congress to give the response to next week’s State of the Union Address by President Donald Trump, as Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said Abrams would be a welcome messenger for the party next Tuesday night on February 5.
“I was very delighted when she agreed,” Schumer told reporters just off the Senate floor on Tuesday afternoon. “She is just a great spokesperson, she is an incredible leader.”
Abrams rose to national prominence in 2018 with her failed bid to win the race for Governor in Georgia, as a post-election vote fight netted her even more attention and support from national Democrats and party leaders.
“She has led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything else,” Schumer added.
President Trump was originally scheduled to give the State of the Union on January 29, but that was delayed in the fight over the partial government shutdown.
Schumer said he had spoken to Abrams some three weeks ago about doing the response – an often thankless job which is usually remembered only for miscues – and that Abrams had accepted.