Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams was chosen by party leadership to give the response speech to President Donald Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address. Both speeches are scheduled for Feb. 5, 2019, after initially being pushed back due to the government shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted that Abrams was chosen because she has led the charge for voting rights and knows what working and middle-class people go through. Schumer also tweeted that the president will be the “warm-up act for the real deal” in Abrams.
Next Tuesday night, @realDonaldTrump will be the warm-up act for the real deal:
Stacey Abrams.https://t.co/pCxnefFJr2
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 30, 2019
Abrams, who narrowly lost the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race, will be the first African-American woman to give a State of the Union response speech.
Wyatt Nail is a senior studying journalism and minoring in sports management.