After leaving the Georgia House, Stacey Abrams gained fawning mainstream media attention as a Democrat ‘rising star.’
Abrams, a liberal activist, came within a hair of the governor’s mansion in 2018, delivered the Democrats’ State of the Union response the following year, and then vied to become Joe Biden’s vice president in 2020 election.
However, Abrams — now running for governor again — has seen a reputation diminish during the Biden presidency. She’s getting walloped in the polls against her opponent, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp… and she made it so much worse with this new gaffe.
In a panel discussion, Abrams said, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”
Abrams famously refused to use the word “concede” in reference to her loss in 2018’s race for governor. Now she’s added “heartbeat” to the list of forbidden words.
Sure enough, Abrams was defended by friendly media outlets, which argued for a distinction between “cardiac activity” and a heartbeat.
Jezebel ran a headline called, “Stacey Abrams Corrected Abortion Misinformation, and Republicans Lost Their Minds.”
Still, Abrams has hardly benefited from all this media support. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one of the few accurate pollsters from the 2020 cycle, just released some new findings… and Abrams is struggling.
In her current race, Abrams is polling at 42 percent, with incumbent Kemp at 50 percent.
For reference, Abrams lost to Kemp by only 1.4 points in 2018’s race, an election with no incumbent.
Abrams is underperforming her previous attempt by almost seven points… even after amassing more name recognition and a massive fundraising war chest.
Granted, Abrams is running against an incumbent this time, and she’s also currently dealing with a national environment more favorable to Republicans.
Still, she’s likely not helping herself with remarks like this.
Take a look —
Stacey Abrams: "There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body." pic.twitter.com/ukWdFQ2WLk
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 22, 2022
On The View this month, Abrams voiced support for legal access to abortion until the point of viability, along with some exceptions for the life of the mother. She wants to enact this plan through an act of Congress, she told CNN in June.
Abrams, the daughter of two preachers, has flip-flopped on this issue.
“I was wrong,” Abrams told The New York Times last month, during yet another puff piece. “But I’ve worked hard to make myself right.”
“I evolved on this issue because I learned more. And what I understand is that abortion is not a political decision. It is a medical choice,” Abrams said during a press conference in July, according to NPR.
The Horn editorial team