Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has cashed in big following her failed 2018 bid for governor.
Abrams's net worth is now $3.17 million, according to the Associated Press—about 3,000 percent more than her net worth of $109,000 when she first ran. Her multimillionaire status comes after years of media appearances, speeches, and books, many of which have focused on alleged threats to the democratic process. She has never conceded her defeat in the 2018 race, saying instead the election was "stolen" through "voter suppression."
Abrams made more than $3 million in 2021 alone, delivering 37 paid speeches. Many focused on Republican-led voting legislation passed in the wake of the 2020 election, which she has also decried as "voter suppression." She reported no income from her organization, Fair Fight Action, which she founded after her failed gubernatorial bid.
In a statement to the AP, Abrams accused Republicans of having "demonized" her achievements.
"It is remarkable to me that success is now being demonized by the Republicans," Abrams said. "I believe in success. I believe that every person should have the opportunity to thrive. And because I had three years where I was in the private sector, I leveraged all three years, and in that time, I've done my best to not only be successful personally, but to do what I can to help Georgians."
Abrams's efforts at self-promotion have at times had her contradicting herself. In April, she led a coalition of activists in fierce opposition to new voting ID legislation, only to reverse her position two months later. She also waged an aggressive lobbying campaign to be Biden's 2020 running mate, citing her "strong history of executive and management experience" and foreign affairs expertise through "25 years in independent study of foreign policy." In January, Abrams embarked on an ambitious media rebrand to reinvent herself as a pragmatic moderate ahead of the 2022 election.
During the 2018 election, Abrams owed $54,000 to the IRS and had $96,000 in student loan debt and $83,000 in credit card debt—all of which was paid off by the end of 2019.