Some big news happened out of Georgia yesterday:
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms endorsed Stacey Abrams on Sunday from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, marking some of her strongest public statements in support of Abrams since she won the Democratic nomination for Georgia governor in May.
“There is a reason that Atlanta has a mayor named Keisha, and that reason is because we are called to be a voice to be those who don’t have a voice," said Bottoms, quoting Audre Lorde about change. "So it’s not enough that we have elected African American mayors across this country. But there’s an opportunity to change this world with our election in November. And Rev. Warnock, I’m not going to get the church in trouble, because I know it’s something about [getting political] from the pulpit. But what I will say is this: When you go and vote, remember there’s a woman on the ballot named Stacey."
Bottoms, who was elected last December, connected the governor's race to the movement of black women, like herself, who have ascended to executive office, and also ostensibly to what effect the election of the country's first black woman governor would have on the 2020 presidential election. The Republican primary runoff takes place July 24. An Abrams campaign spokesperson noted that Bottoms congratulated Abrams on election night and gave an interview in which she expressed further support for her candidacy. The spokesperson said that Bottoms has also given to the Abrams campaign.
As Abrams campaign continues to gain momentum and huge fundraising hauls, things just keep on getting nasty in the GOP runoff:
It has become the “deplorables” moment of the Georgia governor’s race.
In a private conversation secretly recorded in May and made public on Monday, Casey Cagle, the Republican lieutenant governor, was captured criticizing the over-the-top tone of his party’s primary. He said that it had become focused on “who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck, and who could be the craziest.”
Now Mr. Cagle’s opponent in the July 24 Republican runoff for governor, Brian Kemp, is accusing Mr. Cagle of turning up his nose at the salt-of-the-earth Republican base — much as President Trump did when, as a candidate, he criticized Hillary Clinton for using the phrase “basket of deplorables” to describe many of his supporters.
Mr. Cagle’s campaign has insisted that he was referring to the candidates, not the voters. But the recording of Mr. Cagle underscored the dilemma for a Republican Party in which some leaders are privately put off by the rough and raucous style perfected by Mr. Trump — but fear that any criticism of that style might be interpreted as contempt for voters who are energized by it.
The recording of Mr. Cagle’s comments released by his opponent has added additional drama to what was already a neck-and-neck race between two seasoned, Trump-supporting politicians to succeed the current governor, Nathan Deal, a Republican. Mr. Cagle and Mr. Kemp are vying to prove who is further to the right during a primary season in which Republican voters in other nearby states, when offered a choice, have gone with the more conservative option.
By the way, Cagle should really stop himself from being recorded saying things that would cost him the nominee. Besides being corrupt and belittling the base, he also sounds like a RINO in the party of Trump:
After being caught connecting the financing of political campaigns to legislation, after noting that the dynamics of this GOP race for governor felt like a contest of “who could be the craziest,” the latest clip from the secret audio recorded by former rival Clay Tippins now has Cagle revealing a dark, dark secret:
Cagle says he cares about poor people. Listen here. A quick transcript:
“I literally have a goal – a personal goal. I want to cut poverty in half. And I believe that I can do it….If you’ve got a governor in January who’s really focused on the need and really trying to lift those people up – it’s not you I worry about. It’s not your kids I worry about…
“I mean, you’ve heard my story of where I came from. That’s not [expletive]. That’s real, okay? Every ounce of that is real. I attended eight elementary schools by the time I reached the sixth grade. I really should not be where I am.
“My focus is down there. It’s not those up there, and that’s what pisses me off about Republicans and people like Hunter.”
We’ll see what happens on July 24th. Until then, let’s make sure Abrams is ready to win the general election. Click here to donate and get involved with Abrams’ campaign.