Georgia governor slams MLB’s decision

News of Major League Baseball’s decision to pull this summer’s All-Star Game from Georgia over the state’s sweeping new voting law reverberated among fans Saturday, while Gov. Brian Kemp vowed to defend the measure, saying “free and fair elections” are worth any threats, boycotts or lawsuits.

The Republican governor said at a news conference that MLB “caved to fear and lies from liberal activists” when it yanked the July 13 game from Atlanta’s Truist Park. He added the decision will hurt working people in the state and have long-term consequences on the economy.

“I want to be clear: I will not be backing down from this fight. We will not be intimidated, and we will also not be silenced,” Kemp said.

“Major League Baseball, CocaCola and Delta may be scared of Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden and the left, but I am not,” he said, referring to companies that have also criticized the new law.

Three groups already have filed suit over the measure, which includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Critics say it violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as parts of the federal Voting Rights Act that say states cannot restrict Black voter participation.

Kemp insists opponents have mischaracterized the law, yet Republican lawmakers made the changes largely in response to false claims of fraud in the 2020 elections made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters.

The law includes a new photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail and makes it a misdemeanor to hand out money or gifts, including food or drink, to those waiting in line, which Kemp said was done to prevent groups from trying to influence voters. The prohibition extends 150 feet from a polling place and 25 feet from any person standing in line. It also expands weekend early voting, although Republicans had earlier proposed limiting it.

The league did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred previously said he made the call to move the AllStar events and the amateur draft from Atlanta after discussions with individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the death of George Floyd last year.

Kemp also criticized the league for not trying to improve voter access in its home state of New York, where he said voters need an excuse to vote by mail and have fewer days of early voting than in Georgia. He said its decision means “cancel culture” is coming for American businesses and jobs.

Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina said he’s asked his staff to begin drafting a bill to remove the league’s antitrust exemption.

“An overwhelming bipartisan majority of Americans support requiring an ID to vote, and any organization that abuses its power to oppose secure elections deserves increased scrutiny under the law,” he said in a tweet.

Baseball antitrust exemptions, in place since 1922, primarily allow MLB to prevent franchise moves without owner approval.

Kemp