With just 10 days to go before the election, former President Barack Obama urged Georgia Democrats Friday to turn out for gubernatorial challenger Stacey Abrams, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and other Democrats down the ballot.
Obama drew a stark contrast between Georgia’s Democratic and Republican candidates, arguing that Warnock and Abrams would best represent the interests of working Georgians.
“The basic, one fundamental question you should be asking yourself is who cares about you, who believes in you?” Obama told the cheering crowd. “That’s the choice in this election.”
Obama lauded both Warnock, who is seeking a full term in the Senate, and Abrams, who is trying for a second time to beat Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
“You have Democrats like Rev. Warnock who have shown they will take on the drug companies to lower prices and get the oil industry to clean up its act and pass laws to make housing more affordable and make sure that corporations bring jobs here into Georgia instead of overseas,” Obama said.
“[Abrams is] focused on making sure every Georgian has an opportunity to get ahead. That’s why she wants to invest Georgia’s surplus in good schools, a higher standard of living and more affordable health care and housing.”
Obama pointed to the two parties’ differences on abortion as another reason why Georgians should vote blue.
“Who will fight for your freedoms?” he asked. “Is it gonna be GOP politicians, judges who think they get to decide when you start a family, how many children you have, who you marry? Or is it Democratic leaders who believe the freedom to make these personal intimate decisions belong to every American, not to politicians in Washington?”
Obama warned that Republicans capturing control of both the U.S. House and Senate could put America just a presidential election away from a nationwide ban on abortion.
“Most of the GOP … are not even pretending that the rules apply to them anymore,” he said. “Last year, Stacey’s opponent [Kemp] signed one of the most aggressive voter suppression laws.”
“Democracy is at stake in this election. That’s why it’s not enough to elect Democrats at the top of the ticket. That’s why we need to work just as hard to elect secretaries of state like [Georgia Democratic candidate] Bee Nguyen.”
Obama also zeroed in on recent serious allegations about Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s character and preparation for office.
“Herschel Walker was a heck of a football player,” Obama said, referring to Walker’s star turn as a University of Georgia running back. “But Walker is not prepared to hold a Senate seat. Remember, these are issues of character. You deserve better.”
State Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta, who is running for Attorney General, and state Rep. Bee Nguyen, D-Atlanta, who is running for Secretary of State, also spoke at the event.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
