Georgia's failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Sunday continued to question the legitimacy of the election she lost by 50,000 votes to Republican governor-elect Brian Kemp.
Abrams appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" where she was asked to respond to Sen. Sherrod Brown's (D., Ohio) comment about her election being "stolen" if she did not win. Brown was speaking in front of the left-wing advocacy group National Action Network earlier in the week when he said, "If Stacey Abrams doesn't win in Georgia, they stole it.
"Sherrod Brown says the election was stolen," host Jake Tapper said. " Do you agree that it was stolen, and do you think that Brian Kemp is not the legitimate governor-elect of Georgia?"
"The law, as it stands, says that he received an adequate number of votes to become the governor of Georgia, and I acknowledge the law as it stands. I am a lawyer by training and I am someone who's taken a Constitutional oath to uphold the law, but we know sometimes the law does not do what it should and something being legal does not make it right," Abrams said. "This is someone who has compromised our systems. He has compromised our Democratic systems and that is not appropriate."
Tapper did not appear satisfied with her response, prompting him to ask her again if she believes Kemp is a "legitimate" governor-elect.
"He is the person who won an adequate number of votes to become the governor," Abrams said
Tapper pressed Abrams again, saying she was not answering his question or using the word "legitimate."
"He is the legal governor of Georgia and here's the thing, Jake. I want to be very clear. Words have meaning and I've spent my lifetime not only as an attorney. But as a writer, I'm careful of the words I choose," Abrams said. "When he takes the oath of office, he will be the legal governor of the state of Georgia, the legal victor, but what you are looking to me to say is that there was no compromise of our democracy and that there should be some political compromise in the language I use, and that's not right. What's not right is saying that something was done properly when it was not."
"I will never deny the legal premature that says he is in this position, and I pray for his success. But will I say that this election was not tainted, was not a disinvestment and disenfranchisement of thousands of voters? I will not say that," Abrams added.
The Washington Free Beacon previously reported on the state of the gubernatorial election and how progressive groups filed multiple lawsuits in an attempt to extend certification deadlines.
Abrams and progressive groups have filed multiple lawsuits to extend certification deadlines and count previously rejected provisional ballots, but she still needs to gain at least 17,000 votes on Kemp to get him below the 50-percent threshold and force a runoff.
In addition to Abrams attempting to become the first black female governor in U.S. history, the race has drawn national attention because of progressive accusations that Kemp, the former Georgia secretary of state, engaged in systematic voter suppression. The Weekly Standard reported such accusations were not borne out by the facts.
President Donald Trump praised Abrams in a tweet on Friday, saying she "fought brilliantly and hard."
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1063591994738515968