Democrats are throwing cold water on the possibility of Stacey Abrams mounting a third bid for Georgia governor, underscoring how the once-rising star’s image has been tarnished by consecutive losses and recent controversies.

Abrams hasn’t publicly commented on another potential run but also hasn’t ruled it out as she stays politically active. If she were to try again, Abrams would bring strong name identification and established fundraising prowess to the race because she’s been a face of the state Democratic Party for years.

But at least some Democrats think their best chance to win a difficult battle for the governor’s mansion next year would be turning to someone new.

“There’s not a lot of energy ... or a large appetite within the state of Georgia amongst Democrats for a third Abrams run,” said Georgia Democratic strategist Fred Hicks.

“There's a deep appreciation for her putting Georgia in play through her work with the New Georgia Project, Fair Fight and her 2018 run,” Hicks continued. “But I think after that ‘22 election and all the things that have happened in the state since then, Democrats are really focused on trying to put forth a candidate they feel like can win next year.”

Abrams first became a national figure around the 2018 gubernatorial election. Having previously served as Georgia state House minority leader, she came within 1.5 points of winning the governor’s race in a state that hadn’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years.

She launched an organization called Fair Fight, dedicated to protecting voter rights, shortly after that election and delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address in 2019.

Her........

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