Best Candidates for Working People, 2018: Stacey Abrams

This November’s elections are shaping up to be among the most consequential in recent U.S. history. Throughout the summer and fall, we are going to take a look at the best candidates for working people. Today, we feature Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Here are some of the key reasons why Abrams is one of the best candidates for working people in 2018:

• She is the only gubernatorial candidate to propose a detailed jobs plan.
• Abrams has introduced Georgia’s Advanced Energy Jobs Plan to deliver tens of thousands of high-wage jobs. 
• In a visit to Ironworkers Local 709, she has noted that her jobs program would increase registered apprenticeships in the state from 8,000 to 22,000 by 2022.
• As co-founder of financial services firm NOW Account and other small businesses, she has helped create and retain jobs in the state.
• Abrams wants to use old buildings to turn the city of Macon into a hub for renewable energy such as hydro, biomass, wind and solar.
• She has received the Friend of Labor award for her support of working families.
• While minority leader, she has led the charge to stop the practice of employee misclassification.
• She said she wants to be the public education governor and has fought an undemocratic takeover of schools that would’ve shifted power to unelected officials only answerable to the governor.
• Abrams would help small businesses access capital, skilled labor and critical infrastructure. 
• She would prioritize economic mobility to make sure hardworking families have a chance to succeed. 
• To do this, Abrams would establish a state earned income tax credit, focus on tax breaks for working families rather than the richest individuals and corporations and expand access to child care tax credits and subsidies.
• In her agenda, she demands workplaces never discriminate based on a person’s race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability or immigration status.
• Abrams would promote policies to ensure pay equity.
• She wants to expand paid sick leave.
• Abrams favors the state requiring a living wage in every county.
• As a legislator, she has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.
• She supports a Georgia civil rights bill to protect the LGBTQ-plus community, immigrants, people of color, and people of faith from discrimination in housing, public accommodation, and the workplace.
• Abrams wants to end abusive on-call scheduling, so that families can have predictable workweeks and paychecks.
• She has called for investment in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transit, water and sewer systems, ports, broadband, and clean energy.
• Abrams wants public projects to utilize more Georgia workers and products.
• She opposes legislation that bans project labor agreements on public works projects.

Learn more about Abrams at her website.