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by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
November 6, 2023
Stacey Abrams commends her former opponent for not falling to political pressure but warns that it does not grant him a clean slate. The former Georgia gubernatorial candidate has applauded Gov. Brian Kemp for refusing to overturn the election at Donald Trump’s request yet reminded viewers of his controversial history.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, Abrams acknowledged how Kemp spoke out against Trump’s election interference in the state while questioned about the ramifications of his good deed.
.@staceyabrams: “Brian Kemp did not commit a crime, which is what Donald Trump called on him to do. And I applaud his refusal to commit a crime. I applaud his refusal to overturn an election that was rightfully conducted. But that does not create a hero.” pic.twitter.com/Lh6leUqNJZ
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) November 5, 2023
“It already has,” responded Howard University’s Chair for Race and Black Politics on how the move overshadows Kemp’s history of alleged voter suppression in Georgia.
“Brian Kemp did not commit a crime, which is what Donald Trump called on him to do. And I applaud his refusal to commit a crime. I applaud his refusal to overturn an election that was rightfully conducted, but that does not create a hero.”
She continued, saying not allowing this highlight of good politics to erase Kemp’s attempts to thwart voters’ rights. Abrams noted that his refusal should be part of the “expectation” constituents have for elected officials.
“Doing your job is the expectation that we should have. One of the challenges of the last eight years has been a lowering of our threshold for what we expect of public officials. It’s insufficient that you are lauded for simply doing the job you were hired to do, and then you get to erase the bad that you continue to do.”
Rectifying voter suppression is pivotal to Abram’s political work, as the former Georgia State representative founded the nonprofit Fair Fight Action to promote changes in voter registration laws for more equitable elections. While the politician did note that Kemp rightfully condemned Trump for his crimes in the Peach State, which led to the Fulton County indictment spearheaded by District Attorney Fani Willis, she feels it should not absolve him for what his administration has done to prevent all eligible voters from exercising their rights.
“The work done by Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger for average Georgians continues to reverberate,” shared The New York Times bestselling author. “And it is a terrible, terrible, terrible stain on our democracy. You don’t get to claim that you are a defender of democracy when you are still engaged in behavior that undermines it.”
While Abrams continues to advocate for voter registration reform, the 49-year-old is adamant that she and others can “very easily separate” Kemp’s instance of justice from the rest of his controversial moves.
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