It’s a small thing, but it has been bothering me for a few hours, so bear with me.
Stacey Abrams won the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday, easily defeating her opponent Stacey Evans.
She was carried to victory partly on the excitement that she may become the first female African-American governor in U.S. history, and partly on the fact that she is proudly liberal, professing support for universal healthcare, free college, and reparations for descendants of slaves.
She was also carried to victory by donor money. Lots and lots of donor money from supporters all over the U.S.
As it turns out, out-of-state donations account for nearly two-thirds of the cash that went toward her primary campaign, according to the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Unsurprisingly, outside donations from wealthy supporters in California and New York have raised a few eyebrows in local and national newsrooms. An MSNBC host even asked the Democratic gubernatorial candidate about it this week.
“What do you say to those who say you are being propped up by liberal Democrats outside of your own state?” MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson asked the self-described Resistance fighter Wednesday.
Abrams answered first by arguing she beat Evans at the state level, saying, “I outraised my opponent locally.”
Then her response took a confusing turn, and this is what has been bothering me.
“More importantly,” Abrams continued, “Georgia is a national state. We have the busiest airport in the world and one of the largest ports in the country.”
She added, “We are part of the national narrative. We are a locally grounded campaign that reached out to thousands of voters, but we’re also nationally known because we know that Georgia matters across the country.”
I’ve been staring at this for the better part of an hour, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what she means by “national state.”
Perhaps she’ll address this later when she faces off her GOP opponent, which will be either Georgia lieutenant governor Casey Cagle or Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, pending a runoff.
