Author: Ledyard King / Source: USA TODAY
Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Here’s what you should know about her. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams has a lot going for her: a national following, a profile as an up-and-coming face of the party, and a real shot at higher office.
But can she beat the curse?
Abrams has been tapped to deliver the Democrats’ official response following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, a tradition afforded the party not occupying the White House. But the high-profile assignment that the former gubernatorial candidate is taking on has been known to damage political aspirations.
“You’re following a president, which oftentimes is not an easy act to follow,” said John Hudak, a senior fellow of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute in Washington.
In 2009, then-Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal – and rising political star – was skewered for his wooden delivery following Barack Obama’s address. His 2016 run for president fizzled months before the first primaries.
In 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio’s case of severe cotton mouth prompted the Florida Republican to fumble for a nearby water bottle – all while keeping his eyes oddly fixed on the camera during his response to Obama’s speech. The “water bottle moment” lit up Twitter and prompted a Saturday Night Live sketch and became a source of ridicule during his presidential run in 2016.
In 2017, former Democratic Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, drew internet snickers by declaring in his speech following Trump’s address that he was “a proud Democrat, but first and foremost, I am a proud Republican, and Democrat and mostly, American.” Beshear, who had won plaudits for twice winning gubernatorial contests in a red state, has been rarely heard from since then.
“The setting is also so much less impressive than the State of the Union” where the president addresses a joint session…
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