Pence, Winfrey lend muscle in Ga.
Two governor hopefuls clash over state’s values
MARIETTA, Ga. — In a rousing speech in the Republican-leaning suburbs of Atlanta, Oprah Winfrey urged voters on Thursday to make history by backing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in next week’s election.
Winfrey called Abrams a “changemaker” who represents the values of all Georgians.
“I am here today because Stacey Abrams cares about the things that matter,” she said to a mostly female audience north of downtown Atlanta.
“I paid to come here myself, and I approved this message,” Winfrey added, explaining that she tracked down Abrams’ cellphone number and called her to say she wanted to offer assistance.
Seventy-five miles north, Vice President Mike Pence stood alongside Abrams’ opponent, Brian Kemp, in Dalton, and mocked the billionaire media icon as just another liberal outsider trying to impose on Republican-run Georgia.
“Stacey Abrams is being bankrolled by Hollywood liberals,” Pence said, after drawing boos when he mentioned that “Oprah is in town” and noted that actor Will Ferrell was recently in the state for Democrats.
“I’d like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, I’m kind of a big deal, too,” Pence said, adding “a message for all Stacey Abrams’ liberal friends: This ain’t Hollywood. This is Georgia.”
The competing scenes underscore the choice Georgia voters face. Former President Barack Obama will appear on Friday for Abrams. President Donald Trump will appear with Kemp on Sunday.
More than 1.5 million of the state’s almost 7 million registered voters have cast ballots already.
Abrams would be the first black female governor in American history, and she’s sought the post as a liberal trying to draw new voters to the polls.
She touts her experience working with Republicans as a legislative leader, but she doesn’t back down on her promises to expand Medicaid insurance, prioritize public education and push for tighter gun restrictions.
Kemp is a staunch conservative who has embraced Trump and the administration’s hard line on immigration. He wields guns in his ads and lambastes Abrams as a tool of “socialists” and “billionaires” who “want to turn Georgia into California.”