A lengthy list of potential 2020 hopefuls have descended on Atlanta to rally with Stacey Abrams and other Georgia Democrats. But none cast the race for governor quite like U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.
The New Jersey Democrat, in his third campaign appearance in Georgia within the last year, talked of Abrams in almost biblical terms.
He started his address to the crowd of more than 100 gathered at an Atlanta union hall with a plea to rev up voters ahead of what he called the most “consequential” midterm of his lifetime.
“The opposite of justice isn’t injustice. It’s apathy. It’s inaction. It’s indifference,” said Booker. “So this time in our democracy we have to understand that democracy isn’t a spectator sport. You can’t just sit on the sidelines and hope and pray and cheer for the right thing to happen.”
And then he veered from the standard get-out-the-vote material toward loftier prose:
"This is a moment when the power of the people is definitely more powerful than the people in power. And what makes this the most exciting election of my lifetime, what's helped to elevate me for about a year now, is I've known from our history that when darkness comes, light-workers emerge.
"When people spew hate from the highest offices in the land, there emerges leaders that know you can't lead the people if you don't love the people. I know that whenever there's a dragon in our midst, God always brings us the dragonslayers.
"So, I've seen over this last year, a light emerging on the horizon from the great state of Georgia. Someone who inspires me like nobody ever has. Somebody who is a trailblazer, a history maker, a glass-ceiling breaker. And I'm telling you right now: Ready or not, here she comes."
***
Cue Stacey Abrams, who tucked a response to some of her Republican rival's most recent attacks into her campaign speech.
Brian Kemp has seized on comments she made in Statesboro last week that "people shouldn't have to go into agriculture or hospitality in order to make a living in Georgia." Voters in rural Georgia are being flooded with reminders of those remarks by Kemp and his allies.
At her event Sunday, Abrams accused her critics of “cherry-picking” her words to take them out of context. She continued:
"So let me be really clear: I believe in agriculture. I like eating. And I know agriculture has provided opportunities for millions of Georgians. It's our No. 1 industry. And I support hospitality, because that employs a lot of our communities. And my responsibility is to make sure we support and invest. ...
"But I also know that we have to diversify our economy in the state of Georgia. Because, yes, Georgia's done a good job of bringing jobs. But the problem is that too many of us have too many of those jobs. And we need a leader who believes that everyone should be able to work one job and making a living and make a life. And you can't do that if you don't see all of Georgia, if you don't believe in all of Georgia."
***
Brian Kemp's rural bus tour doesn't begin until later this week, but he spent much of the weekend visiting deep-red territory across the state where he's trying to drive up the vote.
That included a stop with a "Women for Kemp" event in Monroe ahead of a pair of campaign stops on Monday in metro Atlanta with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a former presidential candidate who carried the core Atlanta counties in the 2016 primary.
***
Stacey Abrams may have a new anthem.
At her Sunday event, a DJ pumped up the crowd with a remix of hip-hop artist Jay Rock's "Win" no less than four times. A dance team of local students even choreographed their own moves to the song.
See for yourself:
Before @Corybooker arrives at @Staceyabrams event, students dance to remix of @jayrock’s Win #gapol pic.twitter.com/Doi26BCgME
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) October 21, 2018
About the Author
