Abrams says she’d welcome Biden, Harris campaign appearances

Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams said on Monday that she would welcome appearances by President Biden and Vice President Harris at campaign events. 

Abrams told The 19th’s editor-at-large, Errin Haines, that she would have key Democrats like the president and vice president campaign for her, saying there’s “no reticence” on her part. 

“I know people will try to spin up stories where they don’t exist. I welcome President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to come to Georgia because that’s one of the ways we show Georgia what the Democrats have delivered for our state,” she said. 

Questions about whether Abrams was trying to distance herself from Biden arose in January when she missed an event he planned in Georgia about expanding voting rights due to a scheduling conflict. Both Biden and Abrams, however, pushed back at the time on the notion that their relationship was deteriorating. 

While Biden’s approval rating has risen considerably in the past few weeks, it remains underwater just as the midterm general election cycle is getting underway. 

Polling released Tuesday also shows Abrams trailing incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in the state’s gubernatorial race. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed Kemp leading Abrams among likely voters, 50 percent to 42 percent. 

The race this year will be a rematch of the Georgia gubernatorial election in 2018, when Kemp narrowly won by about 1.4 points.