Is 2020 The Year The Democrats Finally Win A Statewide Race In Georgia? Or The Year A Second Georgian Becomes President?

2014 was a big year for elections in Georgia. Former Democrat Nathan Deal beat Jimmy Carter's grandson, Jason, 1,345,237 (53%) to 1,144,794 (45%). Not bad, huh. And on the same day, there was a Senate race that pitted two candidates with big family names: Republican David Perdue against Democrat Michelle Nunn. Perdue won 1,358,088 (53%) to 1,160,811 (45%). Wow! Same results, more or less. Last year's gubernatorial election was different. Way more people voted-- for both candidates-- and the Democrat in the race, Stacey Abrams, had a real shot. There were a lot of voting irregularities and she may have even won. The official count was 1,978,408 (50.2%) for Brian Kemp to 1,923,685 (48.8%) for Stacey Abrams. Stacey the seven biggest cities, the only ones with over 100,000 people-- Atlanta, Columbus, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Athens and Sandy Springs-- although Roswell is almost at 100,000 and she won there too. In fact, Fulton and DeKalb counties include Atlanta, Sandy Springs and Roswell and Abrams won 72.3% in Fulton County and 83.5% in DeKalb County.

Abrams did so well in Georgia that she made a national name for herself as well. The James Arkin piece in Politico is titled Stacey Abrams torn between running for president, Senate and it's not even that outlandish. A few months ago I even asked our art director to put this together:

And so much has been made of a Biden-Abrams ticket. She even had one of those special Joe Biden moments-- before shooting down the whole scenario:

But I really think-- and I know I could be wrong about this-- that Schumer has persuaded her that her own goal (to be governor of Georgia some day) is best served by running for the Senate, not by jumping into the presidential circus. Arken, though, writes that she's "doing everything a would-be presidential candidate would do: a nationwide book tour, candidate cattle calls and stops on late-night television and morning news shows." Eh... she's not going to be on the June debate stage. And that list of everything right, is also everything right she could be doing to prepare for a Senate race that's going to include raising a lot of money nationally.

But the Georgia Democrat is also still actively considering a run for a seat in the Senate, and top Democrats continue to court her aggressively for the race. Abrams met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Thursday in Washington, at least her third meeting with the Democratic leader this year.

Abrams told Politico in an interview on Thursday evening that Schumer has been "diligent" and "thoughtful" in wooing her to run for Senate, including enlisting allies to help her understand the contours of the job. Abrams said she spent years preparing to run for governor in 2018, a race she narrowly lost, and wanted to give the same forethought to a Senate bid.

"He has been unequivocal in his desire to have me become a candidate for this office," Abrams said of Schumer's persistence.

Meanwhile, Abrams continues to tantalize her supporters with the possibility of a presidential campaign. During an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Jo on Thursday, co-host Mika Brzezinski told her, "You should jump in" to the race for the White House. When she appeared at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention in New York on Wednesday, speaking alongside a caravan of presidential candidates, the crowd chanted, "Run, Stacey, run."

The will-she-or-won't-she drama represents one of the last unanswered questions about the 2020 Democratic field, but it could be some time before Abrams makes a final decision. She initially intended to decide on a Senate run by the end of March, but that timeline has slipped as she has toured the country, which has allowed her to develop a national political network. She said she would decide "as soon as possible" — but called it a self-imposed deadline and declined to give a specific date for announcing whether she would challenge first-term GOP Sen. David Perdue.

"Our collective responsibility is to make sure that-- regardless of who the candidate is-- that Democrats take the Senate," said Abrams, who was in Washington for a speech at an annual gala for EMILY's List, the group that promotes Democratic women who support abortion rights. "That is my commitment, whether I'm the candidate or not."

If she were to pass on a Senate run, Abrams thinks she could wait longer before deciding whether to run for president. She told POLITICO she thought deciding on a presidential run in the fall was a viable option — even if it meant missing the first two primary debates, scheduled for this summer, and losing out on hiring early staff in the initial primary states.

...Democrats also are preparing for the possibility that Abrams passes on a Senate run. Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, Georgia, has taken steps toward a campaign should Abrams pass, though she plans to back Abrams if the 2018 gubernatorial nominee does run. Tomlinson was at the headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Wednesday, where she met with Schumer and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who chairs the campaign arm.

"What we intend to do is to allow Stacey the time that she needs and that she deserves to consider her options," Tomlinson told Politico Thursday. "Should she choose something other than U.S. Senate, we have to make sure we have a strong contender for the Democratic nomination here in Georgia-- and, of course, my pitch is that I'm ready to go on all that."

Abrams committed to helping Democrats in the Senate race even if she passes on running herself.

"We need a better leader, and we need a better senator-- and my mission is to make certain that whether I'm the candidate or not, someone takes on this responsibility and that we beat David Perdue in 2020," Abrams said.

Tomlinson is a pretty impressive candidate as well-- but she's not Stacey Abrams and would have considerably more of an uphill climb to gain real traction against Perdue outside of Columbus and Atlanta. This is the quickie case for her:

Teresa Tomlinson has six times been named to Georgia Trend's 100 Most Influential Georgians and she holds a National Security Secret Clearance with the Department of Defense.

During her tenure Columbus, Georgia, was named one of both 2016 and 2017 top fifty Best-Run Cities in America. Her administration reduced crime by 39.3% from its height in 2009, including a 41.2% drop in property crime and a 15% drop in violent crime. Under her leadership, the Columbus Consolidated Government balanced the budget for the first time in 16 years using no reserve funds and provided city and county services at the prudent cost of $1,300 per person. Tomlinson instituted reform in the city's pension plan, saving taxpayers some $39 million and increasing funding of the General Government plan to over 90%, while preserving the valuable Defined Benefit Plan for Employees. Reform was also instituted at the Muscogee County Prison with the Rapid Resolution Initiative, which expedited the disposition of unindicted inmates at the Muscogee County Jail. Columbus was recognized with a Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government Bright Ideas Award, for the Save-A-Pet Plan which reduced the animal euthanasia rate from 80% in 2010 to 20% in 2016 and increased adoption by triple digits. Tax Allocation Districts were adopted to encourage the revitalization of previously blighted areas, including City Village and the Liberty District. New biking/walking trails were constructed, known as the Dragonfly Trails, to create 60 miles of connected trails throughout the city, including trails and streetscapes in previously blighted areas. Over 2 miles of the Chattahoochee River were returned to its natural state, creating the world's longest Whitewater Course in an urban setting. Tomlinson has overseen the renaissance of the city's downtown creating a bustling dining/entertainment district, known as Uptown. Tomlinson has provided constituents with direct access to their mayor through quarterly forums called Let's Talk with the Mayor and social media.