In January 2021, Georgia Democrats achieved what once seemed impossible. After delivering the state to Joe Biden—the first Democratic presidential victory in Georgia in 28 years—voters flipped both Senate seats in run-off elections, handing Democrats control of the chamber. Much of the credit went to Stacey Abrams, the activist-turned-politician who spent nearly a decade promising she could turn Georgia blue. In the euphoric aftermath, online admirers speculated about what heights she might reach next—joking that she might just as easily headline a Marvel movie as lead the Atlanta Falcons.
Nearly five years later, the movement Abrams built is in disarray. The New Georgia Project, the voter-mobilization organization she founded in 2013 and which served as the backbone of her political rise, is shutting down. The group was fined $300,000 in January for illegally funneling money to Abrams’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign—the largest ethics penalty in state history. Donations plummeted, staff pay stalled, and internal conflicts spiraled. On October 16th, leaders confirmed the organization’s closure. “It was internal combustion,” said CEO James Woodall.
The group’s collapse marks a symbolic turning point in Georgia politics. The state remains far more competitive for Democrats than it was a decade ago—a shift many partly attribute to Abrams’s strategy and organizing muscle. Analysts continue to debate how much of that change stemmed from demographic evolution, automatic voter registration, or Abrams’s targeted grassroots work. Yet few disagree that she succeeded in making Georgia central to national Democratic strategy, and in persuading donors nationwide that the Deep South was winnable.
Abrams charted a distinctly non-centrist playbook: rather than chasing moderate white Republicans, she concentrated on turning out inconsistent Black voters. Her organizations embraced Obama-era progressivism, technological innovation, and hyper-local outreach. After her near win for governor in 2018, her influence over the state party peaked.
But mismanagement and political setbacks followed. Internal friction alienated allies, her 2022 rematch bid for governor faltered with both white and Black voters, and her affiliated legal powerhouse Fair Fight lost major court battles, saddling it with significant legal fees. By last fall, as Donald Trump regained strength in the state, none of the Abrams-aligned groups retained the capacity to mobilize voters at scale.
Abrams’s name still carries weight, and Democratic candidates continue to seek her endorsement for attention and fundraising. But as Georgia prepares for a crucial Senate race next year, the party faces a new, urgent question: without the organizing infrastructure she built, who will replace Stacey Abrams—and can Democrats keep Georgia competitive without her machine?
