Cruz grills Stacey Abrams on claim Georgia election was ‘stolen’ from her through voter suppression in tense exchange

Sen. Ted Cruz grilled Stacey Abrams during a Senate hearing over claims that her run for Georgia governor was “stolen” from her through voter suppression.

“The percentage of black Georgians who are registered to vote in 2018 is 64.7%. That compares to 60.2% as the national average, the percentage of Georgians who voted in 2018, the election you claim was stolen from you, was 56.3%. That’s higher than the national average of 48%,” Cruz told Abrams on Tuesday.

“Let me ask you this, Miss Abrams. In 2018, do you know which demographic group in Georgia had the highest registration percentage and the highest turnout percentage?”

She deferred to Cruz on the answer, who told her: “The answer is African Americans had the highest registration and the highest turnout despite your claiming that the election was stolen and there was somehow voter suppression.”

Abrams has contended that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp won the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia by using “deliberate and intentional” voter suppression. Abrams, now a voting rights activist, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to contend that her state’s new voting integrity law disenfranchises black voters.

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“You still refuse to concede that you lost the race for governor in Georgia in 2018. You have said that quote, you ‘do not concede that the process was proper.’ And that quote, ‘They stole it from the voters of Georgia.’ Yes or no: Today, do you still maintain that the 2018 Georgia election was stolen?” Cruz asked Abrams earlier during her testimony.

“As I’ve always said, I acknowledged at the very beginning that I did. Brian Kemp won under the rules that were in place, but I object to our rules that permitted thousands of Georgia voters to be denied their participation in this election, without their votes cast out,” Abrams responded. “But I will continue to advocate for a system that permits every eligible Georgian to cast their ballots.”

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Cruz followed up by asking her to “please answer the question I asked, which is to use yes or no. Do you still maintain the 2018 election was stolen, that’s your language?”

“My full language was that it was stolen from the voters of Georgia. We do not know what they would have done because not every eligible Georgian was permitted to participate fully in the election,” she responded.