Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams speaks in front of a crowd in Athens, Ga. on Oct. 11. Abrams is running on a progressive platform including expanding public education and healthcare. “On day one, my first responsibility as the next governor of Georgia is the expansion of Medicaid,” Abrams said. “We will save rural hospitals, we will provide access to healthcare to half a million Georgians and we will provide access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment.” Photo by Katie Grace Upchurch
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams spoke to a crowd of supporters in Athens on Oct. 11 to encourage voter turnout and engagement.
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams held an event at Hendershot’s Coffee on Oct. 11.
The event was targeted at increasing voter turnout among young people in Athens. UGA student Julia Ricciardulli attended the event in order to hear Abrams’ speech and express her support for the candidate.
“I have never seen Stacey Abrams speak before in person and I’d heard she was a powerful orator so I wanted to listen to her speak,” Ricciardulli said. “I think that my beliefs align with hers very strongly. I’m excited to have a strong progressive on the ticket and not an average Democrat.”
President of the UGA Students for Abrams organization Jaylen Black felt the event reflected the values of Abrams’ campaign.
“For leader Abrams to be able to come to Athens with her busy campaign schedule — and she’s been here multiple times — it shows that she wouldn’t just be the governor of metro Atlanta, she would be the governor of all 159 counties in Georgia,” Black said.
At the event Abrams spoke about her policy goals and values as the possible next governor of Georgia.
“In this election we have the opportunity to educate every child in the state of Georgia from cradle to career regardless of family income and regardless of zip code,” Abrams said. “And I have concrete and detailed plans for how we build a thriving and diverse economy for all 159 counties in the state of Georgia.”
Athens resident Camila Pardo is drawn to Abrams because of her inclusive message.
“(I decided to come) to this event because I reviewed the (platform) of Stacey Abrams and I really like it. I like that she’s inclusive of everybody in Georgia,” Pardo said. “I think, to begin, we really need to turn Georgia a little bit more purple. If it’s not gonna be blue, as I say, a purple state.”
With only 26 days left until the Nov. 6 election day, Abrams ended the event with a call to action for all people in attendance.
“We’re going to prove that Democrats, Republicans, independents and people who don’t know what they are but know they want better, that together, we can change the state of Georgia,” Abrams said. “I need you to knock doors for the next 26 days. I need you to make calls for the next 26 days. And I need you to show up at the polls starting October 15 and bring neighbors, friends and strangers with you.”
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