Midterms Hand Last-Chance Losses to Former Rising Stars – By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder (US News) / Nov 9, 2022
Losses for well-known candidates raise questions about the viability of some politicians once thought to be the future of their parties.
Midterm election losses are raising questions about the lasting power of a handful of well-known figures and their political futures.
Both parties suffered high-profile losses on Election Day that tested the ability of perennial candidates and celebrities alike to turn their name recognition into votes and ultimately raised questions about whether some candidates are poised to exit the political stage after their latest defeats.
Stacey Abrams, who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007-2017, became a well-known Democratic candidate during her race for Georgia governor in 2018, where she garnered high-profile endorsements, including from former President Barack Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Abrams lost to then-Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and the high-profile race propelled her into a nationally known voting rights advocate amid rumors she could be a potential running mate for Joe Biden.
But a bitter rematch with Kemp on Tuesday produced the same end result.