Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday afternoon that he will not launch the first pitch at the Texas Rangers home debut, as scheduled, because of the Major League Baseball response to the recently passed voting laws in the Georgia.
“I was looking forward to making the first pitch in the opening game of Texas Rangers until @MLB adopted what turned out to be a false narrative about Georgia’s electoral law reforms. It is shameful that America’s pastime is being influenced by politics party, “the republican governor tweeted.
In an additional statement, Abbott said he would “not participate in an event held by the MLB, and the State will not attempt to host the All-Star Game or any other special MLB event”.
On Friday, the MLB announced that this summer’s All-Star Game was being pulled out of Atlanta in response to a new Georgia law that has civil rights groups concerned about its potential to restrict voting access for people of color.
Commissioner Rob Manfred made the decision to move the All-Star Game and events, along with the amateur draft, from Atlanta after discussions with big players from the individual league and Players Alliance, a black players organization formed after the death of George Floyd last year.
Last month, Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, signed a broader Republican-sponsored bill that includes new postal voting restrictions and greater legislative control over how elections are held. The bill, which also prohibits volunteers from distributing food and water to voters waiting in line, was finalized on March 25, about 24 kilometers from the Braves stadium, Truist Park.
The new voting law came in the wake of the first Democratic victories in the presidential elections and for the Senate in Georgia in a generation, which has spawned repeated unproven claims by former President Donald Trump that the state election was fraudulent. Supporters of the new law said it merely guarantees electoral integrity and eliminates potential fraud, while critics described it as a voter suppression tactic that would make it more difficult for minorities, especially people of color, to vote, citing how it reduces the number of votes. access in urban communities that support the Democrat.
In his statement on Monday, Abbott criticized the MLB for “perpetuating false political narratives”.
After going 1-2 on a season-opening road series against the Kansas City Royals, the Rangers will return to a full-capacity crowd at Globe Life Field for their home debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday afternoon. market.
Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez was used in this report.