Pollster details voter reactions to Stacey Abrams’ comments on crime, racial profiling
President and Partner at Maslansky and Partners Lee Hartley Carter details real-time video reactions to Abrams’ debate performance.
With just one day until the midterm elections in Georgia, voters across the U.S. weighed in on recent controversial comments from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on crime and racial profiling in the state.
She and Gov. Brian Kemp, R., sparred over support for law enforcement during their Oct. 30 debate. Kemp attacked Abrams for past comments she’s made which seemed to suggest that she supported defunding the police, despite never explicitly stating it.
Abrams shot back that she was not a member of the "good ole boys club" of 107 sheriffs who, she claimed, "want to be able to take Black people off the streets, who want to be able to go without accountability."
She then qualified her statement, saying she didn’t believe "every sheriff wants that."
TOP GEORGIA DEMOCRAT SNUBS STACEY ABRAMS, ENDORSES REPUBLICAN BRIAN KEMP
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams face off in a televised debate, in Atlanta, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
Abrams also said she believes the state needs a governor who defends law enforcement, but also defends the people of Georgia. To explain her position on crime and racial profiling, Abrams used her two brothers as an anecdote.
"I have two brothers, one who has committed crimes and one who is a social worker trying to help keep people from committing crimes. But, my brother who commits crimes should be held accountable, but my other brother should never be pulled over for driving while Black, and yet in this Georgia he is," she said.
In a survey that played the video of her remarks and allowed respondents to track their reaction in real time, registered voters evenly split among Democrats (blue line), Republicans (red line) and independents (gray line) reacted strongly to Abram’s comments.
Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
"She is honest about her family and personalizes her stand through her family's story. That is a courageous way of showing that she is standing up for the rights of people not to be profiled," one Democratic voter said.
Independent voters said that while Abrams is correct in her assessment about racial profiling, she did not properly address the issue of rising crime or how to deal with it.
One conservative voter said that police are not the problem, but rather crime is a problem, and tough action needs to happen.
Pollster Lee Carter, who conducted the survey through her company Maslansky + Partners, noted that voters across the board felt Kemp held his own and did not alienate voters, but also did nothing to inspire. On the other hand, Abrams' perspective on crime proved "extremely divisive" with voters.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp speaks at a press conference on November 7, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kemp is in a rematch with Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. There is also a close Senate race between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Republican Herschel Walker. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
"Many Republicans feel that she is race baiting," Carter said. "Independents feel that while she might be right, she isn’t addressing the very real issues of rising crime in the state. And Democrats loved that she was authentic and real, and talking about an issue that matters so much in this country: racism."
Kemp has consistently led Abrams in polling heading into Tuesday's showdown.
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Abrams argued that she will win her election on Tuesday if voters can "navigate" the alleged voter suppression systems installed in her state, during a Saturday interview with MSNBC.
She claimed that the incumbent governor and the Georgia Secretary of State have moved "to not only game the system, but to suppress voting in the state of Georgia." Abrams famously accused Kemp of suppressing the vote to win the governorship over her in 2018, refusing to officially concede the race because she felt it was unfairly conducted.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
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