Abrams out, Tomlinson in? Former Columbus mayor expected to announce 2020 Senate campaign

The Democratic field in Georgia’s 2020 U.S. Senate race won’t include Stacey Abrams, who announced Tuesday that she will not enter that race, leaving the door open for a possible presidential bid.

Abrams’ announcement means other Georgia Democrats who might be interested in the seat will likely soon make their intentions known. Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson is expected to formally announce her bid for the seat Wednesday. Tomlinson formed an exploratory committee for the seat in early April.

Abrams announced her decision not to run for the Senate in a video posted to her personal Twitter account Tuesday morning.

“The fights to be waged require a deep commitment to the job, and I do not see the U.S. Senate as the best role for me in this battle for our nation’s future,” Abrams said. “But let’s be clear: I will do everything in my power to ensure Georgia elects a Democrat to the United States Senate in 2020.”

With Abrams officially passing on the Senate race, it’s unclear what other Georgia Democrats will challenge the state’s junior senator, Republican David Perdue.

It’s been a waiting game for Tomlinson. Earlier this month, she formed an exploratory committee while Abrams was still mulling a Senate run. Abrams, who met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on several occasions, was the preferred candidate of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Tomlinson previously told the Ledger-Enquirer then that she was planning a launch when Abrams was tapped by the committee as the “chosen candidate.”

In a press release Tuesday, Tomlinson extended well wishes to Abrams and said the two will continue to work together.

“I join Georgians across the state in wishing Stacey well as she considers how she can best serve her state and country,” Tomlinson said. “While she has decided against a Senate run, Stacey helped make this a two-party state and I intend to keep working with her to turn Georgia blue in 2020.”

Tomlinson, 54, is a former two-term mayor of Columbus. A lawyer, Tomlinson also served as the first executive director of MidTown Inc., a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the city’s core, in 2006.

She said in previous interviews with the Ledger-Enquirer that her experiences as mayor and an attorney make her suited to serve in the Senate’s current climate.

“I will tell you it’s not news to anybody that Washington is paralyzed by dysfunction. You see it gripped by dysfunction through corrupted process and policies, mostly related to ego and bad decisions,” she said. “ I’m very adept at resolving dysfunction. I have a lot of experience with solving the unsolvable, and those are skills the United States Senate is in desperate need of.”

More Democrats are expected to make their intentions known soon as many waited to see what Abrams would do, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Jon Ossoff, a former candidate for Georgia’s 6th congressional district, previously encouraged Abrams to run and is now rumored to run himself, the AJC reports.

Abrams’ former ticket mate, Sarah Riggs Amico, is a possible candidate; Atlanta pastor and voting rights advocate Raphael Warnock has not ruled out a bid; and allies are encouraging Michelle Nunn to run, according to the AJC.

Other Democrats have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for the 2020 race:

As of Tuesday, three Democrats have filed for the Senate election. They are:

▪ Akhenaten Amun, teacher and former lieutenant governor candidate in 2018

▪ Marckeith DeJesus, former candidate for Georgia state Senate and House

▪ Elaine Williams, a minister who ran for president in 2016.

Independent Clifton Kilby III has also filed paperwork for the race.

In addition to Abrams, state Sen. Jen Jordan and former Attorney General Sally Yates have ruled out Senate bids, the AJC reports.

With a U.S. Senate bid officially ruled out, Abrams is now considering whether she’ll enter a crowded Democratic field for the 2020 Presidential election or if she’ll wait for a rematch against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022. Either is a possibility.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Abrams out, Tomlinson in? Former Columbus mayor expected to announce 2020 Senate campaign."