Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called the MLB’s decision back in April to move the All-Star game from Atlanta to Colorado over Georgia’s voter integrity law a “purely political decision” as Atlanta is set to co-host the World Series.
“It’s really ridiculous to inject politics into sports and then to baseball, but that’s what they did and then they moved it to a state, Colorado, that’s more restrictive than Georgia is,” Kemp told “Fox & Friends” Monday.
“It was just a purely political decision driven by pressure from Stacey Abrams and a lot of activist groups out there. They lied about the Elections Integrity Act said it’s suppressive, said it’s Jim Crow 2.0. It’s not.”
WATCH:
Leftists slammed Georgia’s voting integrity law as racist when it was signed into law in March. Democratic Georgia state Rep. Donna McLeod called the bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”
President Joe Biden has repeatedly criticized the legislation and claimed the bill was “Jim Crow on steroids.”
Failed gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams eviscerated the election law, claiming it was designed to suppress the black vote in Georgia. (RELATED: Biden Pressures MLB To Move All-Star Game Out Of Atlanta Over GA Voting Law)
“I believe there are components of it that are racist,” Abrams told Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggesting the legislation contained “deliberate attempts” to suppress nonwhite voters.
“We got early voting going on right now all across the state of Georgia and there’s no horror stories. Even though the Justice Department is suing us we’re going to fight back and I believe the law will stand as is,” Kemp said.
After MLB announced in April that it would be moving the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta in response to Georgia’s voter integrity law. It moved the game to Denver, Colarado — a largely white city — from Atlanta, which has a majority black population.
The league said in a tweet that said it supported “voting rights for all Americans” and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”
JUST IN: @MLB announces it’ll move the All-Star Game and Draft out of Atlanta due to the state passing a new elections law last week. pic.twitter.com/rBVUQ6FMJG
— Ed O’Keefe (@edokeefe) April 2, 2021
“Well look, this is going to be great for hard working Georgians,” Kemp said of the World Series, noting that the decision to move the All-Star game was “so outrageous” because it took $100 million away from small businesses — many of which were owned by minorities — “for no reason other than politics.” (RELATED: Washington Post Gives Biden ‘Four Pinocchios’ Over Georgia Voting Bill Claim)
US politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams arrives to meet with US President Joe Biden at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia on March 19, 2021. AFP (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
“So it’s great to see the game coming here for the team and the fans and the organization, but it’s also good for those small business owners and hard working Georgians,” he added. “It’s a great win for the team, the organization, but especially for the fans.”