President Donald Trump had tough words for the Democratic Gubernatorial candidate during his campaign stop in Georgia. Trump called Stacey Abrams an extremist while praising her opponent Brian Kemp. The GOP candidate who’s also the Secretary of State in Georgia is hoping to maintain Republican dominance in the governor’s mansion but he will face a tough competition from Abrams. Trump called Kemp “extraordinary” adding that he has enough experience to do a “great job” in Georgia.
The president was speaking to reporters moments before he left the White House for a campaign rally in Macon. Trump was scheduled to appear on the same stage with Kemp as the GOP would lay down its final push to retain control of Congress and a majority of the Governor’s mansions across the country. But the president’s attacks towards Abrams came during the MAGA rally. Trump told an exuberant crowd that Abrams would be taking away their 2nd Amendment rights adding that she is one of the “most extreme” far-left politicians in the US. Abrams has said a few times that she fully supports the 2nd Amendment. However, she has also called on tighter gun control laws in an effort to end America’s gun violence.
President Trump also said that he doesn’t see the Democratic candidate dealing with crime strongly, alluding that her election would essentially turn Georgia into “Venezuela.” However, this is not the first time that Trump has leveled this kind of criticism on Democrats running to unseat GOP candidates in the midterms. The Georgia race is, however, one to watch. According to recent polling, the two candidates are in a tight race and it’s very hard to call it at the moment. Abrams, if she wins, will make history as the first black woman to win a gubernatorial race in the US.
The run-up to the election has also been marred by allegations of voter suppression and voter rights issues. Georgia has had a long history of voter disenfranchisement, especially among minority groups in the state. Kemp has come under fire for allegedly using his position as Secretary of State to suppress African American votes and other minority groups. Trump mentioned this in passing during the rally in Macon and termed the allegations a “political stunt.” The president was also confident of victory in the midterms noting that GOP enthusiasm on the run-up to the polls has been massive compared to previous years. He finished his campaign in Tennessee where he campaigned for the state’s GOP candidate Rep. Marsha Blackburn.
Tennessee is a state that Trump carried by more than 20 points in 2016. However, Blackburn has surprisingly found herself in a very tight race with Democratic candidate Phil Bredesen. Trump called Bredesen a “far-right liberal” although the former governor has been known for years to be a moderate bipartisan politician. The GOP strategy appears to be leaning towards painting Democratic candidates as far-right socialists. Whether this will work to rile up the Republican base remains to be seen.
