Also in today’s edition of Swing State Georgia:
Kemp hits Abrams with law enforcement message.
Warnock turns new laws into new ads.
Can Georgia become a solar powerhouse?
Stacey Abrams could make history as Georgia’s first Black governor. But during the Democrat’s videotaped appearance at a Pod Save America taping in Cobb County over the weekend, she acknowledged that she’ll need the overwhelming support of Black men, support that polls show she’s currently lacking, in order to win the race.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll last month showed Abrams underperforming with Black voters, with about 80% of the vote, and significantly trailing Gov. Brian Kemp among male voters, 57% to 33%.
At the podcast taping, Abrams said Black men have a “remarkable power” to swing an election.
“They have a capacity that sometimes it's not met by their turnout, which is legitimate and honest and I don't disparage those who make the decision not to vote, because often the leadership that gets elected is not reflective of their needs.
“That said, I know that if we have the kind of turnout possible among black men and they vote for me, I will win this election. That is why my campaign has been so focused on making sure we're addressing those challenges."
That echoed comments Abrams made at a recent “Stacey and the Fellas” event in Cobb County where she said: “If Black men vote for me, I’ll win Georgia.”
Abrams’ performance among Black men, in particular, is one reason she’s lagging behind Kemp in public and internal surveys. That’s a metric she and her campaign are working to change in the months ahead.
VOTING RIGHTS. Stacey Abrams might still be best-known nationally as a voting rights advocate who fought to expand access to the ballot and famously refused to concede her 2018 defeat to protest the “erosion of our democracy.”
In her rematch, Abrams has devoted more attention to economic issues and her opposition to GOP-backed abortion limits and gun policies than on voting rights measures.
But more comments during the Pod Save America taping offered a reminder that ballot access is still at the core of her agenda.
“We know that this is about democracy. If we do not have a governor in 2022 elected and taking office in ‘23, our 270 electoral votes across the country are going to be in jeopardy. Georgia is going to be a pivot point.”
She referred to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear a North Carolina case that could give state lawmakers more power to set election rules, a decision that has the potential to affect the 2024 race.
“Governors matter. This governor matters. And if we want governors to do what’s right for our people, I need to be the one” in the Governor’s Mansion, she said.
Kemp has said he signed the election rewrite last year to boost confidence in Georgia’s elections, though Republicans rarely mention that it was Donald Trump’s attempts to reverse the outcome that undermined that trust.
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PUBLIC SAFETY. Meanwhile, Gov. Brian Kemp is sticking to what his aides believe is a powerful message of his own with a new 30-second spot this morning that highlights the 107 sheriffs who back his reelection.
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