On Wednesday's MSNBC Live, Errin Haines, a former reporter for Associated Press and now the editor-at-large of The 19th, a self-described "nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy," theorized with host Stephanie Ruhle that Stacey Abrams and the Democrats did not just defeat Republicans in Tuesday's Senate runoffs, but also voter suppression.
After former RNC chair Michael Steele theorized that Republicans lost because President Trump discouraged Republicans from voting with tales of systemic voter fraud, Ruhle expressed her doubts. "I don't know about that. Erinn, would you agree President Trump and his antics are responsible for Democrats winning, or do you look to Stacey Abrams, who spent an enormous amount of time and effort with this extraordinary victory? I mean, it’s amazing what she's done."
Haines avoided talking about Trump's role in Georgia, but did talk up Abrams:
HAINES: Listen, as somebody from Georgia, who has long covered Georgia politics and long covered the black electorate, I mean, I wrote the day after the election that Stacey Abrams blew up the electoral map in Georgia and she only doubled down on that in the weeks headed into this runoff. And I think that what we are likely seeing is a result of, of the better part of the decade's worth of work paying off in the likely victors of both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff last night
After detailing Abrams's GOTV efforts, Haines gave credence to the idea that voter suppression had something to do with her 2018 loss, because some baseless conspiracies are more acceptable than others, "after coming so close to becoming the first black woman governor in the history of the country, in 2018, but missing that largely due to so many people believed, voter suppression, not going home but saying I'm going to continue to work to empower voters in this state."
After further explaining that Abrams used baseless allegations of voter suppression as a GOTV tactic, Haines declared, "it was not just about beating, you know, David Perdue or Kelly Loeffler, but really about defeating voter suppression in that state. That that has been her focus. I think that that really is what should be the takeaway and the storyline. Not just that this election cycle but definitely of last night’s runoffs."
This segment was sponsored by Safelight.
Here is a transcript for the January 6 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle
9:30 AM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: I don't know about that. Erinn, would you agree President Trump and his antics are responsible for Democrats winning, or do you look to Stacey Abrams, who spent an enormous amount of time and effort with this extraordinary victory? I mean, it’s amazing what she's done.
ERRIN HAINES: It is remarkable, Stephanie, and, listen, as somebody from Georgia, who has long covered Georgia politics and long covered the black electorate, I mean, I wrote the day after the election that Stacey Abrams blew up the electoral map in Georgia and she only doubled down on that in the weeks headed into this runoff and I think that what we are likely seeing is a result of, of the better part of the decade's worth of work paying off in the likely victors of both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff last night. Listen, I mean in 2014 she started the New Georgia Project, beginning to expand the state's electorate by talking to people across the state, not taking any voters for granted, and in rural Georgia in particular, people who had been unseen and unheard in the state, didn't feel like their vote necessarily counted.And then, you know, after coming so close to becoming the first black woman governor in the history of the country, in 2018, but missing that largely due to so many people believed, voter suppression, not going home but saying I'm going to continue to work to empower voters in this state. Making that her new focus in the past two years. It just really cannot be overstated enough. I mean, it is one thing. We talk so much about turnout being the key to yesterday's election. It's one thing to turn out white voters in the red state, but to turn out black voters across the state in a red state in the way that she and other black women organizers did is really more than a notion, and just the idea that voter suppression was so front and center, and that it was not just about beating, you know, David Perdue or Kelly Loeffler, but really about defeating voter suppression in that state. That that has been her focus. I think that that really is what should be the takeaway and the storyline. Not just that this election cycle but definitely of last night’s runoffs.
