Before his election to the state legislature, Abney was a social worker and community activist involved in local politics.

When Wheatley resigned in 2022 to become chief of staff to Pittsburgh's newly-elected mayor Ed Gainey, Abney won the special election to succeed him.

[1] Abney first ran for the 19th district seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2016, but he withdrew before facing incumbent Rep. Jake Wheatley in the primary.

He criticized Wheatley for a lack of "political will" to push for the construction of new affordable housing units, especially in the Hill District, a historically African-American neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

[6][7] However, Wheatley resigned on January 31, 2022, midway through his 10th term, to become chief of staff to Ed Gainey, who was elected mayor of Pittsburgh in 2021.