Stacey Abrams Tells Hollywood Not to Boycott Georgia, Despite Election Loss

Stacey Abrams wants the entertainment industry to stay right where it is in Georgia. Over the weekend, folks like Alyssa Milano and Veep executive producer Frank Rich called for a boycott of the state in response to Abramss loss of the governorship to Republican Brian Kemp, who has been accused of rampant voter suppression; Abrams herself has said she is planning a federal lawsuit against the state for the “gross mismanagement of this election.” However, that doesnt mean she wants the states thriving entertainment industry to flounder as a result.

“I appreciate the calls to action, but I ask all of our entertainment industry friends to support #FairFightGA – but please do not #boycottgeorgia,” she tweeted on Saturday. “The hard-working Georgians who serve on crews & make a living here are not to blame. I promise: We will fight – and we will win.”

Abrams also responded directly to Rich on Twitter, thanking him for his call to action, but once again calling for Hollywood to redirect its support to Fair Fight Georgia.

“Thank you @frankrichny – but the Georgians who make a living & take care of their families through entertainment are not to blame for the gross mismanagement of our democracy here in Georgia,“ she wrote. “We will hold folks accountable. Please lift up #FairFightGA as the call to action.”

Fair Fight Georgia, the hashtag she used, is Abramss recently announced operation which “will pursue accountability in Georgias elections and integrity in the process of maintaining our voting rolls,” she announced Friday.

Abrams and Kemp had one of the most closely watched races during this years nerve-racking midterms. The circumstances were extraordinary; had she won, Abrams would have been the first black woman in the country elected to a governorship. Oprah Winfrey went to Georgia to campaign for her. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Kemp.

However, the state was plagued by strict voter laws, with Abrams (among many others) accusing Kemp—who, as Georgias secretary of state, oversaw the election in which he was also a candidate—of voter suppression that inordinately affected the states black voters. For example: just a few weeks before the election, the Associated Press found that over 53,000 people, nearly 70 percent of whom are black, had registrations put on hold because of minor errors that “ran afoul of the states exact match” requirements. Kemp, who did not recuse himself from overseeing the election, denied the accusations of suppression.

Abrams officially ended her gubernatorial run on Friday, though she explicitly said that her withdrawal was not a concession.

“Under the watch of the now former secretary of state, democracy failed Georgia,” she said. “This is not a speech of concession, because concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede that.”

The Beginning

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Build That Wall

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Oh, Snap

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A Smash

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In Pieces

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Behind Bars

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