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‘All of this money’ Stacey Abrams is raising will benefit others, not her

While answering questions her political future, possibly including a 2018 run at the governor’s office, House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) told WABE reporter Denis O’Hayer that “all of this money” she’s raising “would go to other people.”

“Oh, absolutely,” she said. “… we have a lot of expensive races coming up.”

The following is a transcript of the final few minutes of a 33 minute interview:

WABE Reporter Denis O’Hayer: As a final thought, just your own personal plans, as we speak, you have just finished having a fundraiser with former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who’s a big star in Democratic fundraising circles, someone might look at that and say, “You are the Minority Leader in the House, you have a safe seat in your own district, does this mean that you’re looking at other bigger jobs?”

House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta): This means that my responsibility as House Minority Leader, is that I have to not only help finance my campaigns, but I have to help fund the caucus, and my responsibility in 2016 is to lead the House Democratic Caucus, that is the only job I’m focused on and that’s the job I’m going to do.

WABE: But are you ruling out saying, “Look… ” With this kind of visibility, with this kind of contact with national figures, you might look at something else, next year, year after.

Abrams: My focus is on 2016, this is going to be a very long year.

WABE: You wouldn’t be interested, some time in the future, in Governor, being Mayor? You came out of City Government, you know that well.

Abrams: My focus is on being the Minority Leader for the House of Representatives. We have, as we have discussed, an incredibly long list of responsibilities this year, and that’s before the elections start. I’ve not only got to get this through a legislative session, but we’ve got to pick up seats across the state, and I’m going to raise every dollar I can to finance those campaigns and to get that work done.

WABE: So, you’re saying all of this money that you’re helping to raise would go to other people and not to any sort of potential run you might consider later on?

Abrams: Oh, absolutely.

WABE: ‘Cause somebody might say otherwise, why would you host a fundraiser like that with somebody like Jennifer Granholm?

Abrams: Jennifer Granholm helps you raise a lot of money, and we have a lot of expensive races coming up. We are currently… We are very excited that we are now at 61 seats. We picked up a seat this summer that we plan to hold…

WABE: Taylor Bennett’s seat in Brookhaven.

Abrams: Taylor Bennett’s seat in Brookhaven. And we in 2012, although it was little noticed, we won four seats that were drawn to be Republican seats, we have to continue to defend those seats. We won those seats in 2012, we defended them in ’14, we were one of the few chambers nationally that did not lose a single seat, and we not only intend not to lose seats this cycle, we intend to pick up additional seats, that costs money, and my responsibility as Minority Leader is to raise that money, and I will ask any friend that I have to come down and help me get that money in the door. She did an extraordinary job for us, and I’m deeply appreciative to Jennifer Granholm, and I will be asking other friends I have to come down and do the same.

WABE: House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams from Atlanta, thanks so much for being with us.

Abrams: It is always a pleasure Dennis.

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