Georgia Commission chairwoman on MLB decision to move All-Star Game
Georgia Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid says she was 'disappointed' by Major League Baseball's announcement to relocate this year’s All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to Georgia’s new voting law, saying the decision will impact the economy.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp alleged Monday his former political rival Stacey Abrams is enriching herself through her continued "scam" of claiming massive voter suppression in the state.
Kemp appeared on sports journalist Clay Travis's "OutKick" radio program, during which the governor blasted the "insane" decision by Major League Baseball to pull the All-Star Game from Atlanta following liberal uproar, led by Abrams, over recent voting reforms he signed.
When Travis asked why Abrams was celebrated for rejecting the results of her 2018 gubernatorial loss to Kemp, the governor said Abrams was part of the "biggest racket in America right now."
"Stacey Abrams is making millions off of this whole scam she's got going on of pressuring people, getting these big donors to support all these different organizations," he said. "It's not just her. There are a lot of people who are doing this here. It is the biggest racket in Amercia right now."
Abrams is likely to challenge Kemp when he seeks re-election in 2022. She has never conceded her 2018 loss to him and has described the former Georgia secretary of state an "architect" of voter suppression. However, voter turnout surged that year compared to in 2014, however.
Following her defeat, Abrams dove into voter activism through her group Fair Fight Action, and she has been widely celebrated by the mainstream media and Democratic Party for her turnout efforts, which helped flip Georgia to Biden's column in 2020.
Losing the All-Star Game will cost Cobb County, the location of Truist Park, an estimated $100 million in business. Abrams said she was disappointed by the decision but nevertheless applauded MLB for what she called a stand for voting rights.
Kemp said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had effectively painted himself into a corner with his new stance following corporate pressure from such giants as Delta and Coca-Cola.
"What's Major League Baseball going to do when the Braves go to play in New York? They're going to be playing in a state that has more restrictive early voting laws than our own state does. I mean, it's just insane what's going on," he said.
FACT-CHECKER DINGS BIDEN, MEDIA PUNDITS FOR DISINGENUOUS 'JIM CROW' CLAIMS ABOUT GEORGIA VOTING LAW
Kemp continued to defend the reforms in the face of fierce Democratic rhetoric, which included "Jim Crow" comparisons by President Biden and others in spite of the law providing for expanded early voting opportunities.
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Kemp said Major League Baseball had succumbed to politically motivated "cancel culture" led by Abrams, Biden, and others who have spoken out against SB 202. He fretted the liberal "mob" would come for college football next; the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship game is annually played in Atlanta.
The new Georgia law leaves in place no-excuse absentee voting, although it shortens the window to apply for ballots to 67 days. Other measures include preventing government agencies from mailing applications unsolicited, mandating driver's licenses or some other form of photo ID instead of signature-matching to verify the identity of absentee ballot applicants, and codifying ballot drop boxes into law. Drop boxes were illegal in Georgia pre-pandemic, but used in 2020 due to public health measures.