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Bee Nguyen (D) conceded the race for Georgia’s secretary of state on Tuesday night, concluding a run that drew national attention and highlighted the battle to protect voting rights.
Nguyen was unable to prevail over incumbent Brad Raffensperger (R), who came under scrutiny when the ACLU of Georgia released a report alleging that the state erroneously removed almost 200,000 voters from registration lists ahead of the 2020 elections. He shot to fame afterward for refusing to bow to then-President Donald Trump’s (R) demand to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss in the state.
Nguyen said she called Raffensperger late Tuesday night to offer her congratulations on his second term. "The past years haven't been easy in Georgia—I'm grateful to be in race where we can have a phone call & wish each other well," she tweeted. "Thank you to the voters in the state of Georgia. You inspire me."
As a member of Georgia’s state legislature, Nguyen personally looked through lists of removed voters and questioned then-Trump campaign aide Matt Braynard about voter suppression. She has also been openly critical of the GOP-led voting restrictions passed in 2021, which include a ban on handing out food and water to voters waiting in line.
“I’ve been at the forefront of battling against voter suppression laws in Georgia,” Nguyen told the New York Times in an interview after announcing her campaign. “Watching everything unfold in 2020 with the erosion of our democracy, I recognized how critically important it was to defend our right to vote.”
As secretary of state, Nguyen said she would prioritize funding for local election boards as well as voter education and outreach initiatives.
Nguyen also campaigned heavily on support for reproductive rights in contrast with Raffensperger, who previously backed a total abortion ban as state legislator. Raffensperger has argued his stance on abortion is irrelevant to the job.
The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen was vying to be the first Asian American woman ever elected to statewide office in Georgia.
She gained notoriety for rallying against anti-Asian hate both before and after the Atlanta spa shootings and campaigned closely with Stacey Abrams and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) throughout the cycle. Former President Barack Obama attended a recent event to urge Georgians to vote for the three candidates.
Prior to serving in the state legislature, Nguyen founded the nonprofit Athena Warehouse, which is dedicated to empowering women and nonbinary people in underresourced communities.
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