REASONS THAT SHE IS AS I
MENTIONED ALSO REPORTEDLY BEING
CONSIDERED AS A POTENTIAL
RUNNING MATE FOR JOE BIDEN.
JOINING US NOW IS STACY ABRAMS.
IT’S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU BACK
ON THE SHOW.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING TIME FOR US
TONIGHT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU.
>> LET ME JUST ASK YOU, AS I’M
SORT OF PAINTING THAT PORTRAIT
OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN GEORGIA,
IF YOU THINK THAT’S THE WAY WE
OUGHT TO BE THINKING ABOUT IT,
IF THAT COMPORTS WITH THE WAY
YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT IT THIS
YEAR AND ABOUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT
AND WHAT’S IN REACH FOR GEORGIA
DEMOCRATS THIS YEAR?
>> GEORGIA IS ABSOLUTELY A SWING
STATE.
WE HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE
OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS OF
ANY BATTLEGROUND STATE AT 33%
AND WE SAW THAT LEVEL OF TURN
OUT IN THE PRIMARIES.
WE HAVE A RECORD PRIMARY TURNOUT
OF MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION VOTERS.
AND INCLUDING EXCEEDING
REPUBLICAN TURNOUT BY A QUARTER
OF MILLION VOTES.
LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK, IN 2018,
MY ELECTION NETTED 1.9 MILLION
VOTES.
THE LARGEST NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS
TO VOTE IN THE STATE’S HISTORY. AND DESPITE ONLY LOSING BY 1.4%.
AND DESPITE ONLY LOSING BY 1.4%.
SINCE THAT TIME, 750,000 FWA
GEORGIANS THAT WERE NOT ELIGIBLE
TO VOTE FOR ME IN ’18, ARE NOW
REGISTERED TO VOTE.
49% OF THEM ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR
AND 45% ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 30.
IN ADDITION, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE TRAJECTORY OF ELECTIONS,
PRESIDENT OBAMA LOST GEORGIA BY
EIGHT POINTS.
HILLARY CLINTON, THE SECRETARY,
LOST GEORGIA BY FIVE POINTS.
IN 2018, THE MARGIN WAS 1.4% AND
THAT WAS WITH THE SECRETARY OF
STATE RUNNING HIS OWN ELECTION.
WE KNOW THAT THE MITIGATION OF
VOTER SUPPRESSION THAT FAIR
FIGHT THATHAS BEEN PUSHING AND T
ABSENTEE BALLOT AND
ENCOURAGEMENT OF REGISTRATIONS
MEANS THAT GEORGIA CAN PICK UP
TWO SENATE SEATS, FLIP ANOTHER
HOUSE STEET AND FLIP A STATE
LEGISLATURE, FLIP THE HOUSE SO
THAT WE CAN BE AT THE TABLE FOR
RESTRICTING.
IT’S A BATTLEGROUND STATE, THE
NUMBERS SAY IT SO AND THE MATH
WORKS.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT EFFORTS
TO MITIGATE VOTER SUPPRESSION,
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE STATUS
OF THE CONTROVERSY IN GEORGIA
OVER SENDING OUT ABSENTEE BALLOT
APPLICATIONS.
WE SAW IT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN THE
PRIMARY EARLIER THIS YEAR.
WE THEN SAW REPUBLICANS IN THE
LEGISLATURE TRY TO BLOCK, TRY TO
PASS LEGISLATION THAT WOULD
BLOCK THE SECRETARY OF STATE
BEING ABLE TO MAIL OUT ABSENTEE
BILLION ON THE APPLICATION.
THAT DID NOT GET SIGNED IN TO
LAW.
BUT THE SECRETARY OF STATE, THE
REPUBLICAN SECRETARY OF STATE
HAS RECEIVED THAT MESSAGE AND
DECIDED ON HIS OWN THAT HE IS
NOT GOING TO SEND OUT THE BALLOT
APPLICATIONS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THAT, AND IS
THAT PART OF THE FIGHT SETTLED?
>> IT’S OF COURSE NOT SETTLED. UNTIL WE HAVE THE ELECTION.
UNTIL WE HAVE THE ELECTION.
WE KNOW THE SHALLENANIGANS WILL
CONTINUE.
WE KNOW FAIR FIGHT WAS AT THE
TABLE AND WE WERE ABLE TO HELP
BLOCK LEGISLATION THAT WOULD
HAVE MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR
VOTERS TO USE ABSENTEE BALLOTS.
WE KNEW THAT THE REPUBLICAN
SECRETARY OF STATE WAS GOING TO
BOW TO THE PRESSURE FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HE WOULD
RESCIND THE SMART DECISION TO
EXPAND SMART ACCESS TO EVERY
GEORGIAN THAT IS ELIGIBLE TO
VOTE AND SO WE ARE NOW MAKING
SURE THAT THE APPLICATIONS GET
TO THE VOTERS WHO NEED TO HAVE
IT.
IT IS WONDERFUL WHEN THE STATE
SERVES THE PEOPLE.
BUT WE KNOW THAT WE SAW, AN
INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF
PARTICIPATION FROM COMMUNITIES
THAT NORMALLY DON’T USE ABSENTEE
BALLOTS.
PART OF THAT IS DRIVEN BY
COVID-19, AND PART OF IT WAS
DRIVEN BY THE EDUCATION AND THE
WORK THAT WE DID IN 2018 TO
EXPAND ACCESS TO ABSENTIEE
BALLOTS.
IT’S ONE OF THE WAYS THAT THE
DEMOCRATS CAN SHOW UP IN THE
ELECTION.
LET’S REMEMBER, VOTING BY MAIL
IS AS MUCH ABOUT SAFETY AS IT IS
ABOUT WINNING AN ELECTION AND WE
DON’T WANT IN THE STATE OF
GEORGIA, WHERE WE HAVE A
GOVERNOR WHO IS DOING HIS LEVEL
WEST
BEST TO ENSURE THE STATE OF
INFECTION, WITH 36,000 PEOPLE
HAVING THE DISEASE IN THE FIRST
WAVE.
WE KNOW ABSENTEE BALLOTS IS A