Former Georgia candidate for governor Stacey Abrams (D) said Tuesday that the “real national emergency” is voter suppression.
Abrams, who argues that Republicans in Georgia worked to make it harder for African-Americans to vote in her state last fall, said the issue deserves national attention and implicitly criticized President TrumpDonald John TrumpGary Cohn says Trump trade adviser the only economist in world who believes in tariffs House transportation committee chairman threatens to subpoena Boeing, FAA communication Pentagon sets new limits on transgender service members MORE for instead declaring a national emergency on migration at the border.
“We have to have national attention on this national emergency, a real national emergency, which is voter suppression in the United States,” the former Georgia House Minority Leader said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“The threat to democracy in our country is real.”
Abrams did not directly refer to Trump’s emergency declaration, which he is using to circumvent Congress to secure funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. But she made it clear that she believes voter suppression is a more pressing issue.
Abrams, who is African-American, has made voter suppression her signature political issue since losing the race for governor in Georgia this year.
She has since blamed her loss on voter suppression.
“I believe that we did not have a fair fight in Georgia,” Abrams said Tuesday.
After the election, Abrams founded the bipartisan group Fair Fight, which is dedicated to combatting voter suppression.
Abrams also highlighted improving voting access when she gave the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this month.