Stacey Abrams Condemned by 102 Georgia Sheriffs for Ties to ’Defund the Police’ Foundation

On Monday, 102 Georgia sheriffs condemned Stacey Abrams for her support of “Defund the Police” as well as her soft on crime policies.

Republican Governor of Georgia Brian Kemp shared the statement that the sheriffs had signed on Twitter:

“Over 100 sheriffs across Georgia are condemning Stacey Abrams’ support of Defund the Police and her soft-on-crime policies. Stacey’s dangerous agenda puts criminals first, while putting our law enforcement and Georgia families in harm’s way.”

Over 100 sheriffs across Georgia are condemning Stacey Abrams’ support of Defund the Police and her soft-on-crime policies. Stacey’s dangerous agenda puts criminals first, while putting our law enforcement and Georgia families in harm’s way.

Read more: https://t.co/Js3dde0WpU pic.twitter.com/7EIh5WsNIT

— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) June 27, 2022

The statement reads:

“Over the last four years, Governor Kemp and his family stood shoulder to shoulder with the men and women serving in Georgia’s law enforcement community. Working alongside our departments, Governor Kemp has championed legislation to recruit and retain more officers into the profession, strengthen penalties for criminals and help keep Georgia’s streets safe, and prevent rogue local governments from stripping critical funding and resources from police.

“In stark contrast, Stacey Abrams has repeatedly shown complete disdain for law enforcement and the risk we take every day putting our lives on the line to serve our communities. Ms. Abrams actively serves on the governing board of – and has profited from – an anti-police organization which openly advocates for abolishing prisons and stripping local police departments of their funding.

“Stacey Abrams also supports proposals that put criminals back on our streets and clears their criminal record, and she opposed legislation to crack down on human trafficking when she served in the state legislature.

“These policies and Ms. Abrams’ role in advocating for them put Georgia’s law enforcement officers and the communities we serve at risk.

“In these uncertain times, it is critical to our profession that Georgia’s leaders stand firmly behind the men and women in law enforcement who keep Georgia families safe. We are grateful to have the support of Governor Kemp and his administration, and we call on Stacey Abrams to disavow the dangerous policies she supports.”

Abrams is a board member of the Seattle-based Marguerite Casey Foundation, which has called for the abolition of the police.  

After joining the board Abrams supported an expanded anti-police initiated by the foundation.

Kemp called on Abrams last week to resign from the Marguerite Casey board.

Notably, the foundation has awarded millions to professors and scholars who advocate for anti-capitalist and prison abolitionist views. Also, the foundation “Answer the Uprising” initiative provides backing to groups who call for stripping law enforcement of their budgets as well as supplying grants to leftwing groups such as Movement for Black Lives, Black Organizing Project, and Louisville Community Bail Fund.

The foundation was started in 2001 with the mission, “help low-income families strengthen their voice and mobilize their communities in order to achieve a more just and equitable society for all. This foundation was established by the Casey Family Programs which is associated with Jim Casey the founder of United Parcel Service.

Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams will face off in a rematch for Governor of Georgia in November of this year. The pair faced off in 2018, and the results of that race were extremely close with Abrams coming within 56,000 votes of Kemp. This November’s election will show how much has changed in Georgia since then.

When Abrams and Democrats likely decided for Abrams to re-run, they probably analyzed long-term favorable voting Demographics in Georgia as to why they thought she’d have a better chance this time around. However, Democrats have miscalculated the short-term trend that is a major pendulum shift of moderate voters going back to Republican. To top that off, many Hispanics are also becoming Republicans, which could throw the Democrat’s long-term strategy off too. Although Republicans shouldn’t rely on the aforementioned, they should certainly take advantage of it whenever possible in our view to gain as much possible ground in state and federal elections, regardless of who runs or what happens in 2024.

The list of sheriffs who condemned Abrams can be seen below:

Sheriff Dane Kirby – Fannin County

Sheriff Stephen Tinsley – Clinch County

Sheriff Jud Smith – Barrow County

Sheriff Noel Brown – Bulloch County

Sheriff Dan Kilgore – Upson County

Sheriff Clay Whittle – Columbia County

Sheriff Rick Kelley – White County

Sheriff Randy Shirley – Stephens County

Sheriff Stacy Jarrard – Lumpkin County

Sheriff Joe Chapman – Walton County

Sheriff Mac Edwards – Evans County

Sheriff Howard R. Sills – Putnam County

Sheriff Janis Mangum – Jackson County

Sheriff John Wilcher – Chatham County

Sheriff Craig Nobles – Long County

Sheriff Billy Hancock – Crisp County

Sheriff Paul Reviere – Lincoln County

Sheriff James Woodruff – Troup County

Sheriff Gene Scarbrough – Tift County

Sheriff John Miles Jr. – Candler County

Sheriff Johnny Moats – Polk County

Sheriff Jim Proctor – Camden County

Sheriff Clark Millsap – Bartow County

Sheriff Terry Langley – Carroll County

Sheriff Leonard Wood – Coweta County

Sheriff Mark Crowe – Bryan County

Sheriff Wiley Griffin – Decatur County

Sheriff Gary Sisk – Catoosa County

Sheriff Ray Cross – Dade County

Sheriff Stacy Nicholson – Gilmer County

Sheriff Mitch Ralston – Gordon County

Sheriff Donnie Harrison – Greene County

Sheriff Joey Terrell – Habersham County

Sheriff Cullen Talton – Houston County

Sheriff Cody Youghn – Irwin County

Sheriff Randy Courson – Echols County

Sheriff Andy Hester – Turner County

Sheriff Butch Reece – Jones County

Sheriff Nick Norton – Lanier County

Sheriff Larry Dean – Laurens County

Sheriff Ashley Paulk – Lowndes County

Sheriff Stephen Jessup – McIntosh County

Sheriff Chuck Smith – Meriwether County

Sheriff Ross Henry – Heard County

Sheriff David Moore – Atkinson County

Sheriff Mike Cleveland – Hart County

Sheriff Carlton Speed – Banks County

Sheriff Jeff Watson – Taylor County

Sheriff Alvie Knight Jr. – Toombs County

Sheriff Locke Shivers – Clay County

Sheriff Jeff Johnson – Dawson County

Sheriff Shane Tondee – Schley County

Sheriff Mack Mason – Union County

Sheriff Mike Jolley – Harris County

Sheriff Jeffrey Brewer – Emanuel County

Sheriff Heath Elliott – Seminole County

Sheriff Frank Reynolds – Cherokee County

Sheriff Robert Oglesby – Jenkins County

Sheriff Randy Dely – Webster County

Sheriff Andy Batten – Bacon County

Sheriff Jimmy Thomas – Pike County

Sheriff Robert “Chuck” Moseley – Wayne County

Sheriff Steve Wilson – Walker County

Sheriff Ron Freeman – Forsyth County

Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie – Effingham County

Sheriff Gary Gulledge – Paulding County

Sheriff Barry Babb – Fayette County

Sheriff Mark Melton – Appling County

Sheriff Ray Paulk – Berrien County

Sheriff Len Davis – Brantley County

Sheriff Robert Phillips – Charlton County

Sheriff Mark Schrader – Chattooga County

Sheriff Rod Howell – Colquitt County

Sheriff Brian Robinson – Dodge County

Sheriff Craig Peavy – Dooly County

Sheriff Steve Thomas – Franklin County

Sheriff Neal Jump – Glynn County

Sheriff Gerald Couch – Hall County

Sheriff Stacy Williams – Haralson County

Sheriff Donnie Pope – Jasper County

Sheriff Greg Rowland – Johnson County

Sheriff Brad White – Lamar County

Sheriff W.B. “Brad” Freeman III – Monroe County

Sheriff Doug Maybin – Montgomery County

Sheriff Robert Markley – Morgan County

Sheriff James Hale Jr. – Oconee County

Sheriff David Gabriel – Oglethorpe County

Sheriff Donald Craig – Pickens County

Sheriff Ramsey Bennett – Pierce County

Sheriff Chad Nichols – Rabun County

Sheriff Darrell Dix – Spalding County

Sheriff Robert Rodgers – Wilcox County

Sheriff Donald Whitaker – Worth County

Sheriff Darren Mitchum – Twiggs County

Sheriff Michael Moore – Madison County

Sheriff Randy Rigdon – Wheeler County

Sheriff Preston Bohannon – Jeff Davis County

Sheriff Dave Roberson – Floyd County

Sheriff Gary Long – Butts County

Sheriff Kyle Sapp – Tattnall County

Sheriff Harry Young – Grady County

Sheriff Lee Cone – Ben Hill County