Stacey Abrams delivers Democratic response to the State of the Union, slams shutdown

Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who narrowly lost Georgia's gubernatorial election in November, delivered the Democratic rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Unionaddress from her hometown of Atlanta, highlighting her working class roots and criticizing the president for the recent government shutdown.

"Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn't received a paycheck in weeks," Abrams said, accusing Mr. Trump of "making their livelihoods a pawn for political games."

Abrams alluded to her time as the minority leader of the Georgia state House of Representatives, saying that in times of difficulty in the state, "the leaders of our state didn't shut down — we came together. And we kept our word."

"It should be no different in our nation's capital. We may come from different sides of the political aisle; but, our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable," Abrams said.

Abrams was defeated by Republican Brian Kemp in November, after prevailing in a close primary in part because she opted to focus on drawing out like-minded liberal voters instead of attempting to broaden her appeal to swing voters. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT ABCNEWS.COM