It triggers a new phase of the Senate race, which has been slow to develop while Abrams has deliberated. She plans to stay neutral in that contest, which so far has attracted one candidate who said she would run only if Abrams does not.

And it opens a new round of scrutiny over whether she will join the growing presidential field, or emerge as a White House hopeful’s running-mate, a possibility that heightened after she delivered her party’s rebuttal to the State of the Union.

If she doesn’t make a White House run, Abrams is likely to prepare a 2022 rematch against Gov. Brian Kemp, who bested her by about 55,000 votes in a contest marred by allegations of voter suppression. After 10 days of legal wrangling and vote-counting, Abrams ended her campaign but refused to call it a concession.