With one month to go before the midterm elections, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams’ chances of getting revenge on Gov. Brian Kemp for her 2018 loss are fading fast if all available polling and the general sentiment of most Americans towards Joe Biden and the Democratic party are reliable indicators.
Abrams, as we’ve previously noted, has not been able to recapture the supposed “magic” of her failed 2018 campaign. One explanation for why is her continued refusal to concede her 2018 defeat at a time when Democrats and the MSM have suddenly become absolutists on questioning elections and refusing to accept the results. And Abrams continually insisting that the process “wasn’t fair” is in part what has turned her into an albatross for Democrats.
Though Abrams has continued to be peppered with questions from the press in recent weeks about not conceding in 2018 and how what she’s doing really is in their view not much different from former President Trump’s claims about 2020, she has repeatedly tapdanced around the issue, as she did during a Monday interview on CNN.
But in a back and forth exchange with another reporter, ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Abrams was asked if she’d accept the results of the 2022 election in the event she didn’t win. After Abrams dodged and weaved, Scott did something you don’t see most in the media do with Abrams: she pushed back, telling her she didn’t answer the question.
When Abrams told her she did answer the question and referenced 2018, Scott interjected and reminded her that she never actually conceded. Abrams was clearly taken off guard by the rare act of actual journalisming happening right before her very eyes in attempting to hold her to account.
Here’s a partial transcript of the exchange:
“I know that heading into the 2022 election, there are new barriers that have been put in place, that there are senior citizens and disabled voters who are facing a much more difficult time getting access to absentee ballot applications. I will never be silent about the issues of voter access because I believe in our democracy and I believe in our right to vote.” And “I do not question the outcome of the election, but I do question the process.”
Scott followed up, “But on this question, I didn’t hear an answer to the question. Will you commit to conceding the election if Gov. Kemp does have more votes?”
Abrams answered, “I answered your question at the very beginning. I acknowledged, at the very beginning, that he won the election. What I said in my speech -.”
Scott cut in to say, “But you also wouldn’t concede.”
Abrams responded, “No, no, no, what I said in that speech is I would not concede a system that would not permit voters to be heard. But yes, I believe that the outcome of the elections should be respected. I have always done so and I will continue to do so.”
Watch:
As always, there were big problems with Abrams’ answers, mainly that she was lying her head off when she said she has “always” respected the outcome of elections. She most certainly has not:
Hats off to Scott for getting Abrams not only to reiterate her refusal to concede 2018 but also in getting her on the record as refusing to answer if she’d concede the 2022 election.
The bottom line here is that Stacey Abrams’ campaign is imploding and the only person to be blamed for that is Abrams herself. Deep dives into polling numbers show that she’s not getting near the support from some of the normally reliable Democratic voting blocs she relied on in 2018, which in my view is further indication that a majority of Georgians have grown weary of her schtick.
Hopefully, Georgia voters will do the right thing next month and make it so that Abrams loses so badly that not even Abrams herself will question the outcome. Maybe then she’ll come around to conceding.
Related: Floundering Stacey Abrams Begs Raphael Warnock for Help as Tensions Rise Among Georgia Dems