Democrats announce their pick to respond to Trump's State of the Union address

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has been selected to deliver the Democrats' response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Feb. 5.

Abrams said she was honored to accept the invitation.

What are the details?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made the announcement Tuesday, telling reporters that he had offered the role to Abrams three weeks ago and that he was "delighted" at her acceptance, The Associated Press reported.

Abrams confirmed the news on Twitter, saying, "At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response."

At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response. https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 29, 2019

CNN reported that "Abrams has been talked about as a rising star in the Democratic Party," and the AP said that Senate Democrats are encouraging her to launch a bid challenging Republican Sen. David Perdue (Ga.) in 2020.

Anything else?

Abrams lost a close race against Republican Brian Kemp in her state's gubernatorial election in November. She contested his win for more than a week — arguing that voters in Georgia were disenfranchised and that Kemp should not have been allowed to continue serving as Georgia's secretary of state while running for the top office.

While she refused to call it a concession speech, Abrams ultimately admitted to her supporters that "the law currently allows me no further viable remedy" to fight the results.

The Democrat went on to say that "democracy failed Georgia."

"Make no mistake," she added, "the former secretary of state was deliberate in his action. I know that eight years of systemic disenfranchisement, disinvestments and incompetence had its desired affect on the electoral process in Georgia."