Stacey Abrams, Democrat weary of Trump "fascists," could be Georgia's next governor

Stacey Abrams is the 43-year-old leader of the Georgia House of Representatives. The young black Democrat is also very clear about how her party can reach younger voters — and it's got nothing to do with satisfying moderates.

"We can either move forward or we can let the president, and those fascists that surround him, pull us backwards," Abrams told the New York Times. "I plan to go forward."

With that, Abrams has positioned herself atop a cohort of progressive black Democrats poised to run for high-profile offices in 2018. These young Democrats, who were profiled by the Times on Sunday, see a path to power by doing what the party seemed loathe to do during the 2016 presidential election: reaching beyond the party's white moderates and speaking directly to black, Latino, Asian-American and low-income voters who feel directly targeted by President Donald Trump's administration. 

Alongside Abrams are politicians like Ben Jealous, the former president of the NAACP who's considering a run for the governor of Maryland:

Then there's Andrew Gillum, current mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, and already a candidate in Florida's next gubernatorial election:

Currently the mayor of Newton, Massachusetts, Setti Warren is considering a run for governor in 2018:

What separates Abrams from the pack is that she's a woman who represents a constituency fiercely loyal to the Democratic Party. In the 2016 election, exit polls showed a whopping 94% of black women voted for Hillary Clinton. And in 2012, 96% voted to re-elect former President Barack Obama; further, black women voted at higher rates than any other racial or gender group, according to the Post. 

Already, we'e seen black politicians like Rep. Maxine Waters become stalwarts of the resistance against Trump. Now, we're also seeing that resistance turn up where it's needed most — in our state lawmakers.