Summary of Stacey Abrams on Midterms: What's Going to Happen?

Overview of We Can Do Hard Things with Stacey Abrams on the Midterms

In this episode, Glennon Doyle and the We Can Do Hard Things team talk with Stacey Abrams about the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections, the rise of authoritarianism in the United States, and how ordinary people can respond with strategy instead of despair. Abrams argues that the U.S. is already functioning as a competitive authoritarian system—one that still has elections and democratic institutions, but where those institutions are being used to concentrate power and weaken accountability. She also lays out her 10 Steps to Authoritarianism and her parallel 10 Steps to Freedom and Power, emphasizing that democracy is saved not by perfection, but by people choosing to do something concrete.

Main Topics Covered

The political moment and why the midterms matter

• The hosts frame the episode around the urgency of the midterms, emphasizing:
  • control of Congress matters for the final two years of the current term
  • down-ballot races shape what happens in states, courts, schools, and local governance
  • even in states that feel reliably red or blue, every race still affects power and policy
• Abrams stresses that the midterms are not the end of the story:
  • they are a referendum on authoritarian power
  • they are also a test run for 2028
  • control of the 2030 census is part of the longer-term battle

Abrams’ diagnosis: competitive authoritarianism

• Abrams defines authoritarianism as a system where power is taken from the people, hoarded by a small group, and shielded from accountability.
• Her key point: the U.S. still looks like democracy on the surface, but the institutions are being pushed toward authoritarian outcomes.
• She contrasts:
  • democracy = shared power, accountability, government serving the public
  • authoritarianism = concentrated power, corruption, no accountability
• She argues that the current movement is not just “normal politics” or a difference in policy direction; it has a different destination.

Stacey Abrams’ 10 Steps to Authoritarianism

Abrams walks through a framework for how democracies erode:

1. The last free and fair election
   Authoritarians often come to power through elections and then try to make future elections irrelevant.

2. Expansion of executive authority
   The executive branch begins acting beyond traditional limits.

3. Weakening competing powers
   Congress, courts, and other checks become complicit, inert, or fearful.

4. Attacking government itself
   Services are broken or undermined so people stop trusting public institutions.

5. Installing loyalists
   Key agencies are filled with people loyal to the leader, not the public.

6. Attacking truth
   Journalism, public media, and factual reporting are undermined so propaganda feels normal.

7. Scapegoating communities
   Immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, transgender kids, and other vulnerable groups are blamed for societal problems.

8. Attacking support systems
   Universities, law firms, philanthropy, and other institutions that help people resist power are targeted.

9. Normalizing state violence
   Military and police power become visibly and politically normal in civilian life.

10. Undermining elections
    Voting rights are restricted so elections still exist, but outcomes become easier to control.

The Counterplay: 10 Steps to Freedom and Power

Abrams says democracy is saved through action, not despair. Her counter-framework includes:

1. Know what you face
2. Share what you know
3. Organize
4. Mobilize
5. Litigate
6. Be disruptive
7. Deny them the language
8. Engage
9. Elect new people
10. Demand the democracy we deserve

Her central message: people do not need to do everything—just one or two real things consistently.

Voting, suppression, and election-day strategy

Abrams breaks down voter suppression into three questions:

• Can you register and stay on the rolls?
• Can you cast a ballot?
• Will your ballot be counted?

Her recommendations:

• Check your voter registration
• Use mail-in voting if available and convenient
• Do not stay home because of fear or cynicism
• Expect intimidation tactics and know they are meant to discourage turnout
• Show up with others and make suppression harder
• Use available election protection resources and poll-watching support

She also emphasizes that mail voting remains an important and legitimate method of participation.

What to do after the election

Abrams stresses that voting is only the beginning:

• Demand that newly elected members actually take their seats
• Show up at state and local hearings early
• Pay attention to budgets, zoning, school boards, and legislative calendars
• Hold elected officials accountable immediately, not months later
• Remember that politicians respond to:
  • money
  • peer pressure
  • attention

How Abrams thinks about loss, progress, and success

One of the episode’s most powerful themes is Abrams’ reframing of what counts as a win:

• A loss is not the same as failure
• Progress matters, even if the top-line result is disappointing
• Her own Georgia runs are discussed as examples:
  • she did not win the governorship
  • but her work helped build turnout, infrastructure, and future victories
• She highlights the value of:
  • new voters finding their voice
  • more people participating
  • shifting the political landscape over time

Her sports analogy is simple:

• you do not quit after one loss
• you keep playing, keep training, and keep running

Party politics, centrism, and coalition-building

Abrams offers a nuanced view of political alignment:

• In primaries, people are choosing who best matches their values.
• In general elections, the choice is often about harm reduction and survival.
• She pushes back on vague terms like “centrism” and “electability” when they are used to protect prejudice.
• Her standard is:
  • shared vision matters more than identical values
  • disagreement does not require dehumanization
  • coalitions have to include people who do not agree on everything

She also argues that the Democratic Party should be a vehicle for people, not a gatekeeper that decides which kinds of candidates are acceptable based on old assumptions about power.

Practical advice for overwhelmed listeners

For the “overworked, scared, politically engaged but exhausted” person, Abrams gives a very concrete plan:

• Pick the issue that worries you most
• Find the election level that can actually affect it
  • school board
  • county commission
  • state legislature
  • Congress
• Give one or two hours a week
• Knock doors or make calls if possible, because personal contact matters
• If your preferred campaign cannot use you, contact the party to be deployed somewhere useful
• Focus on the fact that hope is something you do, not something you wait to feel

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. is in a serious democratic crisis, but that does not mean defeat is inevitable.
• Midterms matter not just for Congress, but for the broader fight over democracy, state power, and the 2030 census.
• Authoritarianism depends heavily on making people believe their actions do not matter.
• The antidote is participation, persistence, and local action.
• Abrams’ final challenge is simple:
  Ask yourself each day, “Did I do hope today?”