‘It’s Irrelevant’: Stacey Abrams Brushes Off Trump Saying She Might Be a Better Governor Than Kemp

Voting rights activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams brushed off former President Donald Trump’s recent quip that Abrams might be a better governor for Georgia than Republican Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Wednesday.

“Does him invoking your name like this help or hurt you?” asked CNN’s Erin Burnett.

“It’s irrelevant,” Abrams answered. “His posture is not relevant to the work that I’m doing or to the positions I take. My responsibility is to do what I can to ensure that no matter who you are, and no matter who you choose, that you have the freedom to vote in the United States.”

“And that is why we have to keep laser focused on the assault on our democracy,” she continued. “An assault that not only happened on January 6th but has happened again and again since that time in statehouses that have restricted access to the right to vote and constricted not only that, but the ability of election workers to do their jobs.”

During the interview, Abrams focused heavily on voting rights and reforms, and called out Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) for opposing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

The legislation, named for the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) was designed to protect voting rights by requiring states with a history of voting rights violations to receive federal clearance before changing their election laws.

Burnett asked Abrams to respond to clips of Grassley calling the bill “a disaster” and asking “why change what has worked for 240 years?” as well as Cruz deeming it “cynical” and “an assault on our democracy.”

“Well, I would first point out that Senator Grassley referenced a 240-year history where it has taken multiple constitutional amendments, multiple federal laws, and untold number of court cases to ensure access to democracy,” Abrams said. “And unfortunately, in the wake of the 2020 election, we have watched 48 states try to pass laws. We’ve had 19 successfully do so to roll back access to the right to vote and so it’s been 240 years of fighting to simply have access to the right to vote for so many Americans who should be entitled to it via their citizenship.”

“As for Senator Cruz,” she continued, “the only cynicism is the cynicism to stand in a state like Texas, which has taken upon itself to outdo almost every other state with its attack and assault on democracy and access for communities of color. To suggest that protecting access to the right to vote and defending the freedom to vote, that those are cynical acts, unfortunately, is a partisan response and not a patriotic response.

Abrams added: “Patriotism says we defend the right to vote no matter who needs to use it and that’s the work we are doing and that’s the work of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.”

Watch above, via CNN