Georgia's Stacey Abrams refuses to concede, says victory 'within reach'

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Stacey Abrams demands every vote be counted

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams addresses supporters after hard-fought battle with Republican Brian Kemp.

Democrat Stacey Abrams said early Wednesday morning that she’s not conceding the Georgia governor's race despite Republican candidate Brian Kemp’s lead.

“I’m here to tell you tonight that votes remain to be counted,” Abrams told her supporters in Atlanta.

Kemp is leading Abrams by more than two percentage points – 50.6 percent to 48.5 percent – with 97 percent of precincts reporting.

GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE TOO CLOSE TO CALL TUESDAY NIGHT

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The Democrat’s campaign believes there are enough outstanding votes to trigger a run-off election in the state. If neither candidate earns more than 50 percent of the vote, then they will head for a Dec. 4 runoff — the first general election gubernatorial runoff in the state’s history.

“Tonight we have closed a gap between yesterday and tomorrow, but we still have a few more miles to go,” Abrams said. “Across our state, folks are opening up the dreams of voters in absentee ballots, and we believe our chance for a stronger Georgia is just within reach.”

“But we cannot seize it until all voices are heard," Abrams continued. “And I promise you tonight, we're going to make sure that every vote is counted.”

"Across our state, folks are opening up the dreams of voters in absentee ballots, and we believe our chance for a stronger Georgia is just within reach."

— Democrat Stacey Abrams

She also went on to accuse Kemp – without directly naming him – of suppressing the vote by making it harder to participate in the election. “I’m not going to name names, but some have worked hard to take our votes away,” she said.

In the wake of the Election Day, Kemp made a dramatic announcement of “possible cyber crimes” by the Georgia Democratic Party.

The state Democratic Party and Abrams denied the accusations and said the announcement was merely an attempt to “suppress the vote.”

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Abrams’ bid for governor of Georgia was set to make history by becoming the state’s first black governor and the first female black governor in the whole nation.

Her campaign was backed by big-name celebrities and high-profile political figures. Oprah Winfrey and former President Barack Obama campaigned for the Democrat.

Fox News’ Jennifer Earl and the Associated Press contributed to this report.