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Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was paid over $700,000 by a liberal think tank that wants to abolish the filibuster and put racial justice at the center of all government policymaking.
Abrams formerly served as the executive director of the Roosevelt Institute’s Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), during which she was paid at least $708,324 from 2019 to 2021, according to a financial disclosure statement filed in March.
Last year, the Roosevelt Institute published a report co-authored by its president and CEO, Felicia Wong, titled, "A New Paradigm for Justice and Democracy," which called for an approach to policymaking that would "center race and racial justice."
"Because our racial disparities are so severe across all elements of the American economy and society, no policy, even if facially race-neutral, is race-neutral in practice," the authors argued. "The design of all policy proposals—big and small—must be attentive to racial outcomes. All policy, from vaccine distribution to higher education funding to tax reform, will have racialized effects. Recognizing this reality, and always considering race in policy design, is therefore vital."
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks to the media during a press conference at the Israel Baptist Church as voters head to the polls during the Georgia primary on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
GEORGE SOROS, HOLLYWOOD MEGADONORS BANKROLL STACEY ABRAMS' LEADERSHIP PAC
The report said a "skills-based, opportunity-focused liberalism" is outdated and ignores systemic racism, and that "our mainstream politics has yet to recognize, prioritize, and make central the reckoning, race equity, and self-determination that a multiracial democracy would require."
It also called for eliminating the filibuster, which requires 60 votes in the Senate to pass major legislation, calling it a tool of white supremacy.
"In this environment, a focus on democracy and racial justice means that filibuster reform or elimination must be on the table," it read. "The filibuster has been disproportionately used throughout history by segregationists and other white supremacists to slow or stop laws intended to promote racial equity. Today, it continues to stall progress on key democracy priorities: protecting voting rights; ending partisan gerrymandering; curbing the influence of corporate money and lobbying in our rulemaking process; and creating stronger ethics laws for federal officeholders."
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is seen ahead of a rally in Reynolds, Georgia as she campaigns against incumbent Governor Brain Kemp (R-GA) in Reynolds, Georgia on June 4, 2022 (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"These all have racial justice implications, since the current system prioritizes a lobbying and corporate interest–driven system that is dominated by those who are wealthy and white, and whose interest is in preserving the status quo," it continued.
Fox News Digital asked the Abrams campaign whether she agrees with the report or if she’ll seek to "center race and racial justice" in her policymaking if elected governor.
"Unlike her opponent, Stacey Abrams has made her plans for Georgia very clear," campaign communications director Michael Holloman responded in a statement. "She is committed to building One Georgia — where all Georgians will have the opportunity to thrive no matter their background, zip code or access to power."
Stacey Abrams speaks onstage during the 2021 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala on Dec. 9, 2021, in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
When Abrams announced SEAP’s launch in December 2019, one year before the report’s release, she described the project as a way to connect local leaders across the state of Georgia dedicated to "improving the lives of those around us."
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"Across the South, we have local leaders dedicated to improving the lives of those around us, and our goal is to call upon that common bond and support this transformative work through the Southern Economic Advancement Project," Abrams said in a press release at the time. "SEAP exists to connect, amplify and ultimately help produce exciting innovations and opportunities for the South."
Wong also praised the project at the time, saying, "SEAP embodies our core belief: economic security and opportunity for the many, not the few. We are thrilled to be SEAP’s fiscal partner as it works to elevate and bridge progressive work happening in the South, ultimately moving us toward a better future for all."
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