Georgia’s House Speaker this week turned the heat up on Major League Baseball (MLB), which moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver last year in protest of Georgia’s SB 202 election integrity law.
“Earlier this week, I wrote to [MLB] Commissioner [Rob Manfred] and called on him to announce a future All-Star Game in Atlanta,” said Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston (R-District 7). “Georgia’s Election Integrity Act made voting more accessible and secure. False claims to the contrary have been proven wrong. Time for him to make this right.”
Earlier this week, I wrote to @MLB Commissioner and called on him to announce a future All-Star Game in Atlanta. Georgia’s Election Integrity Act made voting more accessible and secure. False claims to the contrary have been proven wrong. Time for him to make this right. #gapol pic.twitter.com/64W6HxycyW
— Speaker David Ralston (@SpeakerRalston) July 8, 2022
He attached the letter to a tweet.
“In a few weeks, the MLB All-Star Game will take place in Los Angeles,” the letter says. “As this event approaches, I am reminded that you unjustly deprived the state of Georgia of the opportunity to host the 2021 All-Star Game in reprisal to make voting more accessible and secure through Georgia’s Election Integrity Act (SB 202).
Ralston said he assumed that MLB was not acting maliciously when it pulled the game from Atlanta, and rather that it was simply misinformed about the nature of the new law.
He also pointed out that more Georgians voted in this year’s primary election than ever before, crushing the far-left narrative that SB 202 is a “voter suppression” bill.
“Some estimates placed the economic impact of an All-Star Game played in Atlanta at approximately $100 million,” the letter says. “That’s a lot of food taken off the tables of families in Georgia. I would hope that this mistake would be corrected and some of the economic damage caused by your decision can be ameliorated.”
“As such, I call on you to award a future MLB All-Star Game to be played at Truist Park in the coming years,” Ralston said in the letter.
Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a far-left Democrat, infamously supported the MLB boycott of Atlanta.
“Republicans who passed and defended Senate Bill 202 did so knowing the economic risks for our state,” Abrams said in an April statement posted to her Twitter account. “They prioritized making it harder for people of color to vote over the economic well-being of Georgians.”
After political blowback, she walked her comments back, though not fully.
“Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that the MLB is moving its All-Star Game; however, I commend the players, owners and League Commissioner for speaking out,” she said. “As I have stated, I respect boycotts, although I don’t want to see Georgia families hurt by lost events and jobs. Georgians targeted by voter suppression will be hurt as opportunities go to other states.”
Abrams is now squaring off with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in the 2022 general election.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “David Ralston” by David Ralston. Background Photo “Truist Park Left Field Gate” by Thomson200. CC0 1.0.
