A group of Republicans launched a committee to fight former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, who is likely to challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp again in 2022.
“Leaders of the new independent committee, known as ‘Stop Stacey,’ say they will build a ‘robust state and national fundraising operation’ in order to target Abrams with opposition research, digital ads and other paid media,” a Fox News report said.
In a release first shared with Fox News the group reportedly describes itself as “a national, grassroots organization of engaged conservatives who are committed to protecting our future from Stacey Abrams, her left-wing backers, and their radical, un-American agenda.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the group has ties to former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who lost her seat to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) just weeks ago.
“The group was formed by allies of Kemp and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler even before Abrams announced whether she’ll run again, a sign of deep concern among Republicans about the threat she poses to the first-term governor next year,” the newspaper said.
Jeremy Brand, reportedly a Loeffler staffer, described himself as a senior strategist for the “Stop Stacey” group.
“After losing the White House and United States Senate in 2020, grassroots Republicans across Georgia and America are standing together to stop radical Stacey Abrams,” he reportedly said. “There is no time to waste: We must stand up, fight back, and Stop Stacey.”
Abrams lost to Kemp in 2018, and while she eventually acknowledged her loss, she never conceded the race.
She appears to have an existing campaign committee open – complete with a donation option – from her last run for governor, and is likely to run against Kemp again in 2022.
Abrams has been widely credited for voter strong Democrat voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election, where Joe Biden eked out a victory in Georgia by a tiny margin, and the subsequent U.S. Senate runoff. She led “Fight Fair Action,” a “voter’s rights” group whose tactics and ethics were investigated by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
She had institutional help, too.
As reported by The Georgia Star News, a Republican group made an attempt to clean up voter rolls, Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, Abrams’ sister, ruled against them.
Gardner refused to recuse herself from the case, despite the obvious conflict of interest.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
