The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) are playing ball during the Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, airing political attacks ads reminding voters of Democrats lies’ about Georgia’s new election integrity law that caused the league to move the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta to Denver.
The 2021 MLB’s All-Star festivities were originally scheduled to take place at the Truist Park Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Braves, until the baseball league in April yanked the Midsummer Classic from the Peach State to Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred moved the marquee special event in response to the mass hysteria in corporate protest following Georgia’s new voting law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in late March. Democrats alleged the election reform law amounts to “voter suppression” that would disproportionately affect minorities despite President Biden carrying the traditionally Republican state last November by fewer than 12,000 votes.
Biden also urged for the boycott, saying he would “strongly support” MLB bunting the Midsummer Classic out of Atlanta, likening Georgia’s new law as “Jim Crow on steroids.” The Washington Post slapped “Four-Pinocchios” on Biden for repeatedly misdescribing details of the GOP-led voting law.
Both the NRSC and RNC ads highlight the economic impact that would hurt the Peach State after losing the chance to host the summer marquee event, with the NRSC blaming the “radical-left woke crowd” for “forcing the MLB to boycott Georgia.” The Cobb County Travel and Tourism Bureau projected the move would cost Georgia roughly $100 million in lost revenue associated with travel, hospitality, food and drink, and related gameday expenses — delivering a severe economic blow to Atlanta as nearly 30 percent of businesses are Black-owned.
The NRSC ad will air during the two-day Midsummer Classic — the Home Run Derby on Monday and Tuesday night All-Star game that specifically slams Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) for his refusal to oppose the baseball league’s decision to pull the marquee event out of Atlanta’s suburbs, a move that is expected to financially hurt the largest black-majority metro area population in the nation.
“Baseball’s mid-summer classic, the All-Star Game, a $100 million boosts to Georgia’s economy until the radical left woke crowd took it all away, forcing the MLB to boycott Georgia,” the narrator says in the NRSC 30-second ad. “The All-Star Game, a $100 million boost to Georgia’s economy, until the radical left woke crowd took it all away, forcing the MLB to boycott Georgia. Even Stacey Abrams opposed the boycott, but Senator Warnock refused to oppose it.”
The ad then features a partial clip of Warnock’s CNN interview in April when asked before MLB’s announcement if “boycotts [should] be on the table” by corporate businesses in which the Georgia Senator replied, “I think we all have to use our voices.”
“Senator Warnock’s voice cost Georgia $100 million. Play ball. Donate today,” the narrator concludes.
The ad is part of the Senate Republicans’ campaign to take back Warnock’s seat after the GOP lost both Georgia’s Senate seats to Democrats earlier this year in a dramatic special runoff election. Warnock, who ousted incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler, is up for re-election next year and is one of the NRSC’s main targets to flip back the seat in GOP’s favor and regain control of the Senate in next year’s midterm elections.
“The MLB All-Star Game will be bittersweet for baseball fans in Georgia as they watch a game played in a packed stadium in Denver instead of Atlanta, where it should be. Sadly, it was their very own Senator who helped run the All-Star Game and $100 million out of Atlanta. Even Stacey Abrams, after initially supporting boycott efforts, changed her tune and vocally opposed a boycott of Atlanta and its small businesses,” NRSC Chairman Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said in a statement.
“Raphael Warnock refused to condemn this boycott that hurt Georgia families,” Scott added. “The NRSC is proud to remind voters in Georgia of the urgent need to replace Senator Warnock next November.”
The NRSC told The Floridian that ad buy would cost nearly six figures to air only in Georgia during both All-Star activities. In April, the NRSC released a similar ad following his March 28 CNN interview, tying Warnock to MLB’s decision to move the baseball event to Colorado, a state with stricter voting laws than the measures passed in Georgia.
“The NRSC is proud to remind voters in GA of the urgent need to replace Warnock next November,” the NRSC tweeted last Thursday.
The RNC ad also slams Democrat politicians and corporations for their lies about Georgia’s election reform law, costing the state from hosting the baseball marquee event that disproportionately hurt Atlanta’s Black-owned businesses.
“This was supposed to be Atlanta’s night. But we were robbed,” Rev. Melvin Everson of Georgia, a former Republican member of the Georgia House of Representatives, says in the RNC 30-second ad that was released Monday but scheduled to air solely during Tuesday night’s All-Star game.
“Democrats stole our All-Star Game to push their divisive political agenda. Politicians and corporations lied, while black communities got hurt the most,” Everson continues.
“Even though a majority of black voters support laws like voter ID. To Democrats, it’s just a game. But we’re the ones who got played,” Everson concludes in the ad.
The RNC ad also encourages viewers to visit ProtectTheVote.com, a website dedicated to exposing Democrat’s “divisive agenda” in their attempts to pass a federal partisan election takeover bill, along with their lies regarding GOP state-led election integrity reform efforts.
“The lies told by Democrat politicians and corporations about election integrity have real-life consequences, hurting Georgia families,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement announcing the ad. “Democrats don’t care about the costs of their lies because their sole agenda is more power. The American people will hold Democrats accountable for their lies about election integrity because they know the security of our elections is too important.”
The RNC’s seven-figure buy will air nationwide during Tuesday’s All-Star on FOX network, MSNBC, CNN, and FOX Atlanta.
All-Star GameElection IntegrityGeorgiaMLBMLB CommissionerNRSCPresident BidenRNCSen. Raphael WarnockSen. Rick ScottStacey Abrams
What do you think?