Politico:

Georgia Republicans have wasted no time making Stacey Abrams’ 2022 gubernatorial bid all about 2018.

In ads, speeches and op-eds, the GOP is hearkening back to Abrams’ first campaign for governor, emphasizing her final speech, which she said was not one of concession.

The message is simple: On respecting the will of the voters, Democrats are being hypocrites.

To drive that message home, they’re arguing that Abrams’ last campaign speech, a critique of Georgia’s election system in 2018, is no different from former President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results in the state.

“Democrats attack Trump and Republicans for believing these conspiracies, believing what they call the ‘Big Lie.’ But the original Big Lie proponent was Stacey Abrams,” said Brian Robinson, a Georgia-based Republican strategist. “She was ahead of her time, as she is on so many things.”

How well their message takes hold is likely to shape a major theme of Georgia’s gubernatorial election in 2022, when election integrity and voting rights will remain major issues.

And it will be a potent political test for Abrams, an influential figure in the Democratic Party who made history as the first female Black nominee from a major party to run for governor — and who is eager for a rematch against Republican Brian Kemp.