Gov. Kemp: Biden moving MLB game from Georgia 'a distraction' from border crisis
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp responds on ‘America’s Newsroom’ to President Biden saying he'd move all-star game out of the state over voting law.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said he won't support moving Major League Baseball's All-Star game out of Georgia in protest of the state's new divisive voting law.
Ossoff's stance is a break from President Biden, who told ESPN on Wednesday he would "strongly support" baseball players who want to move the July game from Atlanta’s Truist Park to another state to boycott the election law that Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, enacted last week.
"I absolutely oppose and reject any notion of boycotting Georgia," Ossoff said. "Georgia welcomes business, investment, jobs, opportunity, and events. In fact, economic growth is driving much of the political progress we have seen here. Georgia welcomes the world’s business. Corporations disgusted like we are with the disgraceful Voter Suppression bill should stop any financial support to Georgia’s Republican Party, which is abusing its power to make it harder for Americans to vote."
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Ossoff first made the comments during a press conference in Atlanta Thursday and the senator's office confirmed the statement to Fox News on Friday.
Biden has called the new voting law "sick" and "Jim Crow on steroids."
President Biden stands on stage with Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock, right, and Jon Ossoff, left, in Atlanta, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
After a record-breaking turnout that led to Democrats winning Georgia in the presidential race and two Senate runoffs, the GOP-led Georgia legislature passed the new voting rules that supporters say will add integrity to the election system, but Democrats fiercely opposed as voter suppression tactics.
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The recently enacted law places new restrictions on voting by mail, adds voter ID requirements and limits ballot drop boxes. It also mandates two Saturdays of early voting ahead of general elections, an increase from just one, and leaves two Sundays as optional. The law also bans outside groups from handing out food or water to those waiting in line to vote.
In addition to the pressure on sports, leaders of Coca-Cola and Delta, both headquartered in Atlanta, have made public statements in opposition to the new voting law.
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Georgia's other newly elected Democratic senator, Raphael Warnock, on Sunday declined to oppose potential boycotts of Georgia-based corporations and sporting events, saying, "We will see how that plays out."
In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Warnock said he's "not focused" on the boycotts. "I am focused on what I can do as a United States senator."
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In his opposition to the law, Biden mischaracterized what the law actually does, saying it "ends voting hours early" and would "end voting at 5 o'clock." The Washington Post fact-checker gave Biden "Four Pinocchios" for spreading the misinformation, since Election Day voting runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Fox News' Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
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