Abrams settles the IRS debt as it prepares for a new election race

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Stacey Abrams refunded the tax debt she owed to the Internal Revenue Service, thus closing a potential weakness while she is considering a run at the White House or a rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp.

The Democrat said Thursday by a spokeswoman that she had withdrawn the $ 54,000 that she owed to the IRS, as well as other credit card debt and loans students she had reported during the election campaign last year.

"Leader Abrams has been able to settle his debt," said Abrams spokesman Seth Bringman, "and she will continue to speak openly about the challenges she has faced – challenges too common for Americans and their families. "

Bringman was answering a question from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Abrams's financial situation as she crisscrossed the country selling her book and organizing conferences through a leading agency.

Debt repayment could stifle one of the most virulent criticisms she faced last year as she prepares for a new election bid. Abrams has ruled out a US Senate candidacy this month, but has not yet decided whether to run for president or governor.

Abrams has revealed its debt to the IRS, as well as financial debts of about $ 170,000 in the form of credit cards and student loans, in March. She stated that she had deferred tax payments in 2015 and 2016 to help pay for her family's medical expenses and that she had a payment plan to pay her debts.

Rather than downplaying the importance of the subject during the election campaign, Abrams took the unusual step of talking openly about its financial difficulties in trying to connect with voters.

She wrote a column that embraces debt that has attracted national attention and she has invoked it in attacks on her richer political rivals. She also repeatedly cited her money problems to show voters that she was facing the same problems as herself.

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"Sometimes we stumble and we have to have a leader who understands these difficulties," she said at a meeting. "Because falling does not mean you have to stay there and stay silent."

Her debt became a favorite target for the GOP once Abrams got her party's nomination, while Republicans wondered whether she could effectively manage the state's $ 26 billion budget if she struggled to assume personal financial responsibilities.

"Stacey Abrams wants to raise your taxes," said a television attack, "but did not pay his own."

Shortly after winning the GOP nomination, Kemp highlighted records showing that the Abrams tax attorney had donated $ 50,000 of his personal money to help launch his campaign while he was out. she had a tax debt.

"If this is not criminal," he said, "it should be."

Abrams did not violate any law and rejected the idea that she was crossing ethical boundaries. But she said last year that while delaying IRS payments to help her parents was not the smartest solution, it gave her the opportunity to support them.

During the election campaign, she often explained her financial difficulties by telling her painful discovery at Spelman College, that non-payment by credit card could turn modest fees into large debts.

And she tried to draw a contrast between her more limited financial means and those of Kemp and the other millionaires who ran in the presidential elections in Georgia last year.

"The people I want to represent have a deep understanding of these challenges," she told a ruling. "And they are thrilled to know that there is a candidate who understands their real life and has real plans to solve it."