Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) took a shot at Major League Baseball (MLB) on Saturday after the Atlanta Braves team secured a World Series berth for the first time in decades.
The Braves’ win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday earned the Georgia baseball team its first National League pennant since 1999. The win also ensured that the World Series will be played in part in Atlanta’s Truist Park months after the MLB moved its All-Star game out of Georgia in protest of the state’s new voting laws.
“While Stacey Abrams and the MLB stole the All-Star Game from hardworking Georgians, the Braves earned their trip to the World Series this season and are bringing it home to Georgia,” Kemp tweeted, also hitting Democratic activist Stacey Abrams. “Chop On, and Go @Braves!”
While Stacey Abrams and the MLB stole the All-Star Game from hardworking Georgians, the Braves earned their trip to the World Series this season and are bringing it home to Georgia.
Chop On, and Go @Braves!
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) October 24, 2021
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the decision to move the 2021 MLB All-Star Game and the MLB draft out of Georgia in April after Kemp signed into law a number of new laws designed to strengthen Georgia’s elections. Manfred suggested that the new laws did not align with MLB “values.”
“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.”
Manfred’s announcement came after a number of prominent Democrats, including Abrams and President Joe Biden, pushed false claims about the voting laws and compared them to racist “Jim Crow” laws. While Abrams condemned the MLB’s decision to move its events out of Georgia afterward, she was a prominent voice in pushing boycotts as a potential pressure tactic before the MLB’s announcement.
An Abrams spokesman responded to Kemp’s tweet by taking another shot at the governor over Georgia’s new election laws.
“As Braves fans across the country were celebrating, Brian Kemp swung and missed again with his bizarre deflection of blame for the harm to Georgians resulting from a bill that he signed,” Abrams spokesman Seth Bringman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The MLB faced backlash for its decision to boycott Georgia. The Atlanta Braves organization released a statement after Manfred’s announcement slamming the MLB and noting that the MLB was effectively punishing Georgia’s baseball fans.
“The Atlanta Braves are deeply disappointed by the decision of Major League Baseball to move its’ (sic) 2021 All Star Game,” the Braves organization said. “This was neither our decision, nor our recommendation and we are saddened that fans will not be able to see this event in our city. The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion. Our city has always been known as a uniter in divided times and we will miss the opportunity to address issues that are important to our community.”
“Unfortunately, businesses, employees, and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision,” the Braves added. “We will continue to support the community legacy projects which have been planned and are in the process.”