Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock on Sunday avoided saying whether boycotts of his state should “be on the table” in response to its new voting law.
Warnock discussed the potential for corporations and organizations to boycott the state with host Dana Bash while appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union.” (RELATED: Sen. Warnock Preaching To The Masses: Republicans Must Be Saved From Their ‘Irrationality, Extremism, And Irrelevance’)
WATCH:
“Georgia-based corporations like Coca-Cola and Delta are facing intense criticism for not doing more to publicly oppose this law,” Bash began. “Organizations like the PGA, the MLB are also under pressure to move high profile events like the Masters and the All Star Game out of your state of Georgia. Does corporate America need to be more forceful in denouncing this law? Should boycotts be on the table?”
Warnock responded indirectly, saying, “we all have to use our voices.” He then explained that every year he sees corporations “falling over themselves” around the time of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to celebrate King, who he said “represented voting rights.”
“I’m focused on what we can do in the United States Senate. We have a responsibility to make sure that we secure the franchise and when we do that, we protect the democracy, and I think also we set the climate for business,” he continued. “We want to see people prosper, particularly who have been suffering for months under this pandemic. We need to pass this legislation, protect the right of the people to be heard in their own democracy, and to make sure that Georgia is open, open for business and open for voting.”
“So no boycotts?” Bash then pressed, to which Warnock concluded that he wasn’t focused on that, but that he was focused on what he can do as a U.S. senator.
The legislation Warnock referred to was the For the People Act. It focuses on expanding voter eligibility and would cut through certain aspects of the Georgia elections bill, including allowing no excuse absentee ballots at the federal level.
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Georgia election bill into law on Thursday. The bill has faced weeks of criticism from Democrats, who say it’s meant to suppress the minority vote. The criticism included President Joe Biden, who released a statement condemning the bill on Friday. It has alternatively been praised by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, for combating the potential for voter fraud.