Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, will announce on Thursday that her campaign to fight authoritarianism in the US has attracted dozens of new partners, forming a coalition representing millions of voters. The initiative, called 10 Steps, was launched last year to organise and mobilise opposition to what Abrams describes as authoritarian policies under the Trump administration and the Republican party.
Abrams, a Yale-trained lawyer and former minority leader of the Georgia House, was the first Black woman to win a major party nomination for a gubernatorial race in 2018. After losing to Brian Kemp in 2022, she took a teaching position at Howard University before launching 10 Steps in response to Donald Trump's re-election. The coalition includes well-known groups such as Democracy Forward, Indivisible, MoveOn, and Run for Something, as well as lesser-known civic organisations like New Disabled South, Red Wine and Blue, UnidosUS Action Fund, and Gen-Z for Change.
“We know that there are people who are angry, who are afraid, who are uncertain,” Abrams said. “They recognise that there’s a problem, but now they need to take action. We are serving as both a wayfinder – how you get there – and a force multiplier: how we connect and how we build this larger momentum.” Abrams emphasised the importance of building infrastructure before considering large-scale acts of resistance, such as a general strike, warning against fixating on “cinematic moments” at the expense of foundational work.
Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Gen-Z for Change, said: “Gen Z rejects the idea that we have to sit by and watch as our country descends into authoritarianism. We will not be bystanders as our democracy is assaulted in broad daylight.” Abrams noted that the US is contending with at least nine of the ten steps an authoritarian takes to seize power, including attacking the media, normalising violence, and gutting the government. She described the current situation as “competitive authoritarianism,” where the nation no longer abides by the rule of law as a basic premise.
The campaign outlines ten steps to defeat authoritarianism, with organising and mobilising as key components. “The campaign is to bring together these organisations that span all of these issues so that we can form this national infrastructure, not just for resistance, but for reclamation,” Abrams said. “And to make certain that’s rooted in local community, because what they’re doing at the top only sustains itself if we decide there’s no alternative.”
