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Democrat Stacey Abrams explains why she called Georgia "worst state in the country to live"
The Democratic candidate for Georgia's governor said prior to the primary election the Peach State is the "worst state in the country to live," and needs to improve its mental health policies and incarceration rate.
ATLANTA - A recent comment made by Georgia's only Democratic candidate for governor made headlines this week. Stacey Abrams called Georgia the "worst state in the country to live."
Abrams was at a Democratic Party Gala in Norcross when she made the comment and acknowledged her Republican opponents would likely attack her for it.
"I am tired of hearing about being the best state in the country to do business when we are the worst state in the country to live," Abrams said.
In the days since Abrams supports have shrugged off the comment and the candidate clarified her remark. On Tuesday, primary election day in Georgia, Abrams said she made an "inelegant" statement, but stood by the sentiment behind it.
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"Brian Kemp is a failed governor, who doesn't care about the people of Georgia," she said. "If you look at his record, if you look at the results under his four years of leadership, there has been failure after failure."
Abrams criticized the "constitutional carry" bill that passed earlier this year, abolishing the need for Georgians to have a license to carry concealed guns in public. She criticized Kemp's decision to slash the state budget rather than address the state's high rate of HIV diagnoses — Georgia had the most diagnoses per 100,000 people in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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"While he may have declared the pandemic over, it is not over for millions of Georgians, and they deserve his help," Abrams said.
Kemp has leaned on his record as governor throughout the campaign.
He tweeted a quote from former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who rallied for Kemp, saying, "We don’t need to go find someone to beat Stacey Abrams. We have the guy who has already done it."
Kemp edged Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
Abrams has been a punching bag for Republican gubernatorial candidates. GOP candidate for governor David Perdue said she was "demeaning her own race," when asked about her comment.
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"When she told Black farmers, you don’t need to be on the farm, and when she told Black workers in hospitality and all this ... she is demeaning her own race when it comes to that," Perdue said. "I am over this. She should never be considered material for a governor," Perdue said.
The Abrams campaign declined to comment.
"That is why we’re in the fight for the soul of our state," Kemp said at a rally with former Vice President Mike Pence. "We cannot take tomorrow for granted. We’re doing this for a reason. We got more wood to chop."