CNN "State of the Union" - Transcript: Interview With Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams

Interview

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TAPPER: Today, President Trump will be in Georgia, campaigning to win one of the tightest and most closely watched races in the nation, the battle to be Georgia's next governor.

Joining me now, Democratic candidate for Georgia governor and the former state House minority leader, Stacey Abrams.

I want to note that we did invite Abrams' opponent, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, to join us, but he declined this Sunday, as well as on two previous Sundays.

Leader Abrams, thanks for joining us.

President Trump is going to be in Georgia campaigning for your opponent this afternoon.

Here's what the president had to say about your candidacy earlier this week.

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TAPPER: What's your response?

STACEY ABRAMS (D), GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: He's wrong.

As President Obama pointed out, I am the most qualified candidate running, if you look at both my academic background, my work history. I have been deputy city attorney. I was the Democratic leader for seven years. I have been successful as a businesswoman, as a writer, and as a tax attorney.

I know what I'm talking about, and I have the plans to prove it.

TAPPER: What do you make of his attacking you that way?

ABRAMS: I think that they can see the same numbers we are seeing. Early voting is up dramatically. We have a plan in place for remarkable turnout on Election Day.

We have folks knocking doors across the state of Georgia. And I think they're getting scared. And I think desperation tends to lead to, you know, comments that aren't necessarily grounded in reality.

TAPPER: You're running for Georgia governor, so I was curious about your reaction to something a former governor of Georgia said last night.

Take a listen to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue at a campaign event for Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis. He's running against Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

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TAPPER: "This election is so cotton-picking important to the state of Florida."

Did you have any reaction to hearing that?

ABRAMS: I think that there's certainly a throwback element to the language that we're hearing coming out of the Republican Party that is, unfortunately, disparaging to communities.

It may be unintentional, but it signals a deeper misinformation about what Andrew Gillum can accomplish, what I can accomplish.

And what we are going to do is stand on our records and our plans, and we're going to win these elections.

TAPPER: President Obama hit the trail for your campaign in Georgia this week.

He recently made headlines after calling Medicare for all a -- quote -- "good new idea."

You have not expressed support for Medicare at all, at least not right now. Why do you think President Obama is wrong?

ABRAMS: I don't think that he's wrong. I think that, as a national conversation, there certainly should be an ongoing review of what Medicare for all can do.

But a single state cannot make that change. Georgia does not have the financial capacity to provide that type of coverage. That is a federal conversation.

[09:05:02]

I am running to be the governor of the state of Georgia. We have to do the fundamentals, including the expansion of Medicaid. That's how we provide access to health care. That's how we reduce costs. That's how we protect preexisting conditions.

My focus is on how I can serve Georgia, and that means a focus on Medicaid expansion.

TAPPER: Let's talk about that.

You want to expand Medicaid, under Obamacare. You say that would cost your state nearly $300 million. You have also proposed a $150 million earned income tax credit for lower-income families and a $40 million renewable energy plan.

Now, I understand you have proposed a few ways to bring in some of that money. But will any families in Georgia need to pay more in taxes in order to fund these ambitious plans?

ABRAMS: We do not need to raise taxes under my plans to raise expectations and to raise outcomes.

Georgia spends about $1.75 billion per year on uncompensated care. That's health care costs. By expanding Medicaid, we can join states like Kentucky that cut that number in half. That's savings that will go directly into providing access to the programs I'm talking about.

My plan is to put money back into the pockets of hardworking Georgians. And all of the plans I have proposed, which are detailed, specific, and have pay-fors, all of those programs can be done under our current budget in the state of Georgia.

TAPPER: So...

ABRAMS: What's more important is that the economic benefit to our state is dramatic, thousands of more jobs, thousands of good-paying jobs, access to health care coverage, and improvement for our state overall.

TAPPER: So, you're telling Georgia families that none of them are going to have to pay higher taxes with you as governor?

ABRAMS: I do not intend to raise taxes. That is not the necessity.

What we have to do in Georgia is cover health care costs. What we have to do is create competitive wages for our teachers, so we can keep more in the classrooms. What we have to do is create better good-paying jobs throughout the state of Georgia in all 159 counties.

That is the economic imperative for our state. And that's how we continue to move Georgia forward.

TAPPER: Let's talk about gun policy. When you were a state lawmaker in 2016, you co-sponsored a bill that would have allowed Georgia state authorities to take away so-called assault weapons from current gun owners.

Most similar bans would grandfather in existing weapons of that sort, semiautomatic rifles that are called assault weapons. So, is that your current position, that law-abiding gun owners in Georgia should have to give up those weapons, if authorities deem it necessary?

ABRAMS: In the state of Georgia, you introduce legislation to start conversations. I am happy to work with the legislature to figure out how we make an assault weapons ban work.

But what I fundamentally believe is that we have to have commonsense gun safety legislation. I am someone who supports the Second Amendment, who knows how to shoot, who knows how to hunt, but I believe that our responsibility is to make certain that the most vulnerable in our society do not face those who are irresponsible with their weapons.

AR-15s are not necessary on our streets. Semiautomatic weapons have to be put under a certain level of responsible control. And I believe that, as the next governor of Georgia, I can work with Democrats and Republicans to come up with commonsense gun safety legislation that will allow us to make our families and our communities safer.

TAPPER: Well, just to be clear, you were one of six co-sponsors of this bill, House Bill 731, introduced January 11, 2016, not that long ago.

Your co-sponsor told reporters the law -- quote -- "would require gun owners of these particular models to turn their guns in."

ABRAMS: And, again, my point is this. The legislation introduced was the beginning of a conversation.

I am absolutely certain that, were we to pass this in Georgia, we would have a conversation about grandfathering in, about whether or not people would turn their guns in, whether there would be buybacks. There are a number of approaches to take to accomplish this goal.

But the fundamental responsibility is commonsense gun safety legislation in Georgia, making sure we get dangerous weapons off the streets, and that responsible gun owners stand together to hold those who are irresponsible accountable, and we reduce the risk of harm to the rest of Georgia. TAPPER: Well, just to be clear here, though -- I'm just trying to

understand. So you don't support the actual legislation; you just support having a conversation about it?

ABRAMS: No, what I have said is, legislation in the state legislature is about starting the conversation.

Very few pieces of legislation are introduced and come out the same way they go in. That's the process of making the law.

My mission in 2016 was to be a part of the conversation. I believe that we have to ban assault weapons in the state of Georgia. But what I'm saying is, as part of my leadership, I'm going to work across the aisle, and we're going to have a conversation about how we accomplish this.

TAPPER: I want to bring your attention to something that you might not know about, because I think it just came out. The Georgia secretary of state's office -- that's your opponent, Brian Kemp -- they have just announced they have opened an investigation into the Democratic Party of Georgia for possible alleged cyber-crimes, after what they say is a failed attempt to hack the state's voter registration system.

Have you heard anything about this? Do you have any reaction?

ABRAMS: I have heard nothing about it. And I would -- my reaction would be that this is a desperate attempt on the part of my opponent to distract people from the fact that two different federal judges found him derelict in his duties and have forced him to allow absentee ballots to be counted and those who are being captive by the exact match system to be allowed to vote.

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He is desperate to turn the conversation away from his failures, from his refusal to honor his commitments, and from the fact that he is part of a nationwide system of voter suppression that will not work in this election, because we are going to outwork him, we are going to outvote him, and we are going to win.

TAPPER: All right, Leader Abrams, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.

ABRAMS: Thank you.

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