ATLANTA — In her first public campaign outing Wednesday, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams slammed Gov. Brian Kemp’s leadership, calling him a failed governor.

“I don’t want to live in a state of inaction. I want to live in a state of opportunity, and that means electing a governor who is more focused on serving the people than serving himself,” Abrams said.  

She attacked Kemp’s refusal to expand Medicaid. Georgia is one of only 12 states that hasn’t done so. The federal government also began offering incentives to aid states that haven’t opted into Medicaid expansion. 

“It’s taken billions of dollars away during the worst health crisis in 100 years and rather than invest in the people of Georgia, he fought to keep those very same people from having access to the health care they need,” Abrams said. 

Abrams also spoke against Kemp’s plan for what the governor calls “constitutional gun carry” laws, which would allow gun owners to carry a gun without applying for a permit or undergoing a background check.

“We’ve got a governor who is pushing this conversation of public safety while he’s also pushing for criminal carry of firearms in this state,” Abrams said. “Because when you say that you want people to be safe, how can you say you’re willing to take away background checks and mental health checks before someone can have a weapon in the state? We need a governor who’s not pushing for criminal carry, instead is pushing for the future of every Georgian.”

Abrams faced Kemp in the 2018 gubernatorial race, losing by just less than 55,000 votes. Vying to be the first Black female governor in the country, Abrams could face Kemp again in November; however, Kemp must be victorious in the heated Republican primary in May against former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who has received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Vernon Jones, a former Democrat turned Republican who has served as a state representative, is also campaigning as a Republican for the seat.

Trump attributed his 2020 loss to unfounded claims of voter fraud in various states, including Georgia. He attacked Kemp for not overturning the state’s election results that certified President Joe Biden’s nearly 13,000 vote lead.  

Several states have changed their voting laws in 2021 following Trump’s baseless claims, which has resulted in congressional Democrats making a nearly year-long push for federal voting reform.  

Abrams spoke Wednesday on her optimism in passing federal voting legislation, though later that night, Senate Republicans blocked further debate on two bills — Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — preventing them from advancing.

“I believe this legislation can be passed because I know that we’ve done it before. This is a very important issue as President Biden said when he was here,” Abrams said ahead of the congressional debate. “This is a generational issue but we must also remember that civil rights and voting rights took a long time. … I’m proud of the work that’s going to happen on Capitol Hill today to keep this issue front and center.”

Abrams was not among the many notable Democrats in attendance during Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Atlanta Jan. 11 to promote federal voting legislation.  

Following the visit, speculations surfaced that Abrams could be distancing herself from the Biden administration. Abrams did not specifically say why she didn’t attend the event but said she is proud to support Biden’s efforts.  

“I am a proud Democrat and President Joe Biden is my president,” Abrams said. “I am proud to work with him on not only the issues facing us and voting rights, but I’m proud of the resources he has sent to Georgia, the CARES Act resources that unfortunately are being misappropriated and misspent by Brian Kemp.”

Abrams was endorsed by Georgia American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and some of its labor unions Wednesday.  

Union leaders spoke in support of Abrams’ priorities, that largely cater to lower and middle class Georgians, including Medicaid expansion, increasing school funding, expanding broadband access and increasing minimum wage.

Eric Taylor, director of a local food and commercial union, praised Abrams’ support and plans for supporting all essential workers, including grocery and food warehouse workers. 

“They have shown up to work everyday even though their kids’ schools may have been closed. … Worked in situations where customers were not wearing masks but they were to keep their customers safe,” Taylor said. “These workers have dealt with the failure of the current governor and other leaders in the legislature to provide adequate testing, masking and other resources for safe workplaces in our communities.

“However, we are here now because we need a governor who will show up for us and that’s Stacey,” Taylor continued. “She stood with us when we asked for hazard pay. She stands with us when we ask for fairness, safety for essential workers to serve our communities and we will stand with her as she fights to make Georgia a state for all working people.”