It is one thing to have Stacey Abrams and Democrats outraged for allegedly being robbed of a victory in the Georgia governor’s race by her opponent, Republican Brian Kemp. But it is quite another to have one Republican ripping into another for allegedly cheating Abrams out of the governor’s seat.
Jason Weaver is a former political strategist for former president George H. W. Bush and ex-presidential campaign adviser to the late U.S. Sen. John McCain. This Texas native accuses Kemp of employing illegal tactics to snatch the election from the rightful winner of the race, which he says is Abrams.
“This hack @BrianKempGA is the next ‘governor*’ of Georgia. But he cheated & undermined democracy every step of the way,” Weaver posted on Twitter. “@staceyabrams should be governor, but isn’t due to actions that can’t be tolerated. She has a bright future. We need a new, enforceable Voting Rights Act. Now! (sic)”
Weaver’s words were not only supported by the Abrams team but also corroborated by the Associated Press. The news service reported that Kemp’s office had put 53,000 voter registration applications on hold, the vast majority of which were from people of color (70 percent). If you add the multitude of problems at the polls on November 6 — replete with a myriad of malfunctions at the famed Atlanta University Center, which is predominantly Black — and then add the extremely long lines and problems with voting machines, this only served to further heighten the suspicions of suppression by Kemp.
Kemp also remained secretary of state — overseeing the office in charge of running the Georgia elections — during his gubernatorial campaign.
Abrams told her supporters during her “concession” speech on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, in Atlanta that she was, in actuality, not conceding to Kemp. She promised to file a major federal lawsuit against the State of Georgia in the coming days to find redress for the multitude of problems encountered by voters in the election — and to prevent it from ever happening again.
“I will not concede because the erosion of our democracy is not right,” Abrams said in her speech. “I acknowledge that former Secretary of State Brian Kemp will be certified as the victor in the 2018 gubernatorial election. But to watch an elected official who claims to represent the people in this state baldly pin his hopes for election on suppression of the people’s democratic right to vote has been truly appalling.”
In response, Kemp offered pedestrian platitudes to Abrams, thanking her for her “passion, hard work and commitment to public service.”
“The election is over and hardworking Georgians are ready to move forward. We can no longer dwell on the divisive politics of the past but must focus on Georgia’s bright and promising future,” Kemp said.
