Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) hammered Major League Baseball (MLB) over its decision to move its All-Star Game from Georgia over a sweeping voting bill he signed into law last month.
Kemp berated the MLB in a statement for what he said was an example of “cancel culture” in the face of Democrats’ criticism of Georgia’s new law, adding that he “will not back down.”
“Today, Major League Baseball caved to fear, political opportunism, and liberal lies,” said Kemp. “Georgians – and all Americans – should fully understand what the MLB’s knee-jerk decision means: cancel culture and woke political activists are coming for every aspect of your life, sports included. If the left doesn’t agree with you, facts and the truth do not matter.”
“This attack on our state is the direct result of repeated lies from Joe Biden and Stacey Abrams about a bill that expands access to the ballot box and ensures the integrity of our elections,” he added, referencing President Biden and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, whom Kemp defeated in the 2018 gubernatorial race. “I will not back down. Georgians will not be bullied. We will continue to stand up for secure, accessible, fair elections.”
David Ralston, the Republican speaker of the Georgia state House, also vowed to support the new law and said the MLB’s decision will hurt Georgians.
“This decision is not only economically harmful, it also robs Georgians of a special celebration of our national pastime free of politics. But Georgia will not be bullied by socialists and their sympathizers. We will continue to stand for accessible, secure elections that are free and fair. And we will continue to speak truth despite extortion and intimidation,” he said.
The rebukes came after the MLB announced its decision to pull the July 13 game out of Atlanta, a move Commissioner Rob Manfred said is “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport.”
“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Manfred said.
MLB’s announcement marked the latest pushback from the private sector against Georgia’s voting law, which limits ballot drop, shortens the period during which voters can apply for a mail-in ballot and implements new ID requirements for absentee voting.
Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey has called the restrictions “unacceptable” and “a step backwards,” and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the law “includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives.”
Kemp has defended the law, saying this week that he’s “glad to deal with” criticism of the law he says is necessary to secure his state’s elections.
Georgia Republicans have said the law is necessary to prevent fraud in any election in the state, though the results of the November election in the state were certified on three separate occasions.