While President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Georgia to rally for voting rights, one politician was notably absent.
Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, known for her efforts to implement far-left voting policies, was not in attendance for the event according to several reports.
Abrams’ campaign cited a scheduling conflict, but did not specify what that meant.
Both the president and Abrams moved quickly to avert a controversy.
“I thank [Biden] and [Harris] for returning to Georgia to continue their steadfast advocacy for passage of federal legislation to protect the freedom to vote. They made clear again today that they are committed to restoring the Senate to safeguard our democracy,” Abrams said on Twitter.
My statement: I thank @POTUS and @VP for returning to Georgia to continue their steadfast advocacy for passage of federal legislation to protect the freedom to vote. They made clear again today that they are committed to restoring the Senate to safeguard our democracy. #gapol🧵
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 12, 2022
In later tweets, she says she “look[s] forward to continuing to work with them to make progress for Georgians,” and that while she couldn’t be at the event, she spoke to Biden on the phone.
“We reaffirmed our shared commitment to the American project of freedom and democracy, as he did in his remarks today here in Georgia,” she said.
While I was not able to attend today’s event, the President and I connected by phone this morning. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to the American project of freedom and democracy, as he did in his remarks today here in Georgia.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 12, 2022
For his part, Biden laughed off suggestions that he was snubbed by the failed 2018 gubernatorial candidate. When asked how he felt about Abrams missing his speech, he said everything is fine.
“I’m insulted you asked the question,” Biden said. “I spoke to Stacey this morning. We have a great relationship. We got our scheduling mixed up. I talked to her at length this morning. We’re all on the same page, and everything’s fine.”
Abrams will try her hand at a second bid for the governor’s mansion in 2022, setting up a possible rematch with the current Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
Abrams infamously refused to concede that the results of her last campaign against Kemp were legitimate, which has now become a prominent storyline as Democrats nationwide became outraged when former President Donald J. Trump did the same after the 2020 election.
Eventually, Abrams moved on from the loss and founded Fair Fight PAC, voting rights and “get out the vote” organization that raised more than $100 million in the 2020 election cycle. She is widely credited with helping push Biden over the edge in the Peach State, where he beat Trump by a slim margin.
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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].
Photo “Stacey Abrams” by Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Kamala Harris & Joe Biden” by Kamala Harris.
