Hey, y'all. I am Congresswoman Kimo Williams. So welcome welcome to my constituent and Kramer words. And Jeff are hosting us in your home today. Welcome Welcome to the fighting Fifth Congressional District and it's my honor today to not only be here with the First Lady of the United States but y'all We are here because we have a really special guest who is the next Governor of Georgia.
I know that you're the true believers. And so I don't have to tell you what's at stake in this election cycle. But I also know that you've watched all the polls, you've seen the pundits and you know everything that's been said about this upcoming gubernatorial race. But what you also know is that as Georgian, we don't have to believe the naysayers. We don't have to follow the trends in the polls, because we know that when we put in the work, we can change the trajectory of history. And that's exactly what we're going to do starting Monday, October 17 When early voting starts, and we go to the polls and Matt to elect the next Governor of Georgia.
I need you to commit that you are going to vote early in this room and you are going to continue to promote early voting because y'all we don't have an election day in Georgia. We have an election season and it starts on Monday. So y'all join me in bringing up the next Governor of the state of Georgia. My friend Stacey Abrams.
Thank you, Congresswoman. And thank you so much and and Jeff and Megan for having us here. Thank you to all my friends, new friends, old friends friends I've yet to meet but thank you very much for your money. As you all know we are 25 days out from election day. But as I said this morning to our canvassing team in Savannah, when I said to our south metro team as they were being launched when I said to our making team because I've been talking to folks all day is that we are 25 days from victory out in the keema alluded to the polling but I want to talk about it for a second because as you said, you all are true believers, but you're also the people who people folks ask what's going on. Let's be clear about the polls. We've seen a poll recently from a consortium and it was a 51% Republican poll. Shockingly, I'm not ahead and a Republican. But the Q poll, which took a much more reasonable sample of what Georgia showed we were in 2018 and 2020 and 2021. It shows this as a 4950 race a dead heat and we are on our way to a
political tradition for candidates to say one poll is good and one poll is bad, but hear me out. You see, polls are snapshot. They tell you what people see the question is what are you looking at? I've been traveling the state since December, talking to folks 1000s of folks and folks have been a little unhappy because I went to the Arab Fest and I went to Latino fest. I went to an API rally. I've marched the two and a half miles of pride. I've had 50 events with African Americans. I've talked to black men and white men. I've talked to communities in north Georgia and South Georgia. I've been across the state and what I can tell you is that folks want more for their lives. They want more freedom. They want more money in their pockets, and they want more opportunity for their children. They want to feel safe and surrounded by that opportunity. And what they know is that for the last four years, they felt anything but safe. They felt anything but advantaged. They felt anything but secure and what they know and what we know is that the snapshot that we can see of Georgia is the GA of tomorrow, but it starts today. It starts with reaching into communities and telling them we see you, we hear you and we're going to speak up for you. And it's about saying that the polls are telling us what could be but we decide what will be we will be a state that returns to the basics. We will invest in education from cradle all the way to career. And one of the reasons I'm so proud to stand with Dr. Jill Biden is that she is someone who understands at her core how critical education is how it is foundational to every future we imagine for our children. That's why we have to address the issues of early childhood learning. Why do we have to have universal pre K because I don't understand four year olds on a waiting list. I've never met a four year old who could wait to turn five but it's also about paying our teachers a living wage a starting salary of 50
it's about giving them more than a pay raise on layaway. I want to increase every educators paid by $11,000 and we can afford to do it in Georgia because we've got the money we just need the leadership
when our students graduate from our high schools which cathedrals to learning not fortresses of fear, I want them to have 20,000 apprenticeships so they can learn while they earn but I also want to restore something we lost in 2011 and that is Dr. Biden free technical college in the state of Georgia. We know that technical college the community college is the foundation for the next set of opportunities, the next set of skills. And in Georgia It was once free and it can be free again. We are going to for the first time create need based financial aid in the state of Georgia.
I'm here to tell you
I was lucky but I have a few siblings who were see students and they should still be able to see their way the college. Education is just the beginning. Georgia must have health care in the state. We are losing just today. We just gained someone.
Absolutely in the right room. Mayor Dickens has been fighting a glorious fight to save healthcare in the city of Atlanta. If you read the AJC yesterday, you know that wait times are ambulances and south of Atlanta and South Georgia and South Fulton are up to an hour waiting for an ambulance. And as of today with the closure of a level one trauma center, one of only five in the state with the closure of that emergency room. those wait times are going up and so are the death rates in our state. But this is a solvable problem. And I am proud of Mayor Dickinson his refusal to let them turn a hospital into a high rise condominium. But we need a governor willing to expand Medicaid and stop lying about what is and start fighting for what should be and I will do that as the next Governor of the great state of Florida. But we also must have affordable housing in our state. And we know that the mayor and our congressmen have been fighting to get resources to the state, but you don't need resources if you have good leadership. Georgia has the money without first sitting on $450 million. He refuses to deploy to keep people in their housing. It just so happens he also makes millions of dollars on real estate but we will talk about that right now. But what we can talk about is that there's a pathway to victory where people know that if they have a new governor, they have a new lease on life. It's about making sure that folks can make a good living for themselves whether they work for themselves or someone else. It's also about protecting our children and our families from rampant gun violence and it's gone up under this governor as he is weakened gun law and is about protecting a woman's right to choose.
A man to break George's promise to its women it's gonna take a woman to put it right think about extraordinary, incredible women. There is no one I'm prouder to stand with today than the First Lady of the United States. Joe Biden. This is a woman who has stood Foursquare for our children for our families. For our veterans. She is here today because she understands how vital Georgia is to the rest of the nation. But more importantly because she understands that people need to be seen. They need to know someone cares, and they need to know there's a future that is stronger and brighter than they can imagine. I am honored to introduce our first lady to introduce a woman who is here because she knows what Georgia is capable of because we gave them 16 Electoral College votes
because we're southern that's why we gave you two US senators. Please help me welcome our first lady Dr. Jill Biden.
All right, so the one who pushed you all back I forget where she I hope she's not gonna be able to get up there are going to push you forward. Back there so I want to talk to Congresswoman Kim and you've been such a great partner to Joe and you're making John Lewis proud every day. Jeff, I'm grateful that you brought us all together today. And I think you have enough energy and
it's wonderful to be back here in Atlanta. And you know, when I was growing up, there were a lot of things that shaped my life. My father's naval service in World War Two, being the oldest of five girls and cheering on the Phillies every summer.
Phillies every single bless your heart was a big part of my life back then was politics and you know, I knew that my parents were Republicans. Talk about that at the dinner table. Instead, they talked about my dad's job at the bank and about my grandparents health. And you know, the dreams they had for me and my four sisters and I get a lot of your families are exactly the same. So when I met Joe, you know, I really felt out of touch with his world in DC. So on our first date, I remember thinking, thank God I voted for him. That was a long time ago. But for many Americans, things aren't much different today. Most parents don't come home from work and debate the ins and outs of Senate bills, but they know about the things that really matter to our families. You know, good schools for our kids, job opportunities, affordable health care, and safe neighborhoods, Democrats, Republicans and everyone in between. And you know, I've had the chance to travel I think 40 states and meet Americans from all walks of life. And I've been to places where they think Joe is the best thing ever. And then I've been to other
other places where, you know they work at work and certainly if you have nothing good to say those places too. And there have been times that I've been met with anger or hurt. But I've also found that the values that unite us are really deeper than our divisions. And I've seen how just a kind word or gesture can just relax somebody's shoulders just a little bit. You know, maybe open their heart to what you might have to say, you know, even if you know that you'll never agree. And I've seen how despite our differences, people across this country, all want the same things, the chance to work hard and build a good life for their families. Which is why it's so harmful, that there are politicians out there tweeting government like a sport for political stunts, because they think that they can score a few more points against the other side. When your current governor brags about signing one of the toughest abortion bans in the country, when he refuses to expand Medicare for Georgians who desperately need health care, as Stacey said, when he tried to make it harder and harder for people to simply use their voices and to go out and vote. I know that that makes you angry. Because, again, there's no us versus them. No teams to root for or against. We're just people just Americans, you know, Americans from all walks of life who need help, and need hope. And JC knows that. In fact, she has spent her entire career fighting for the people of Georgia, you know, not fighting for blue or red but one Georgia.
Kids can get a great education, where all families can afford health care and housing they need where small businesses can thrive and communities are safe from violence. And and we're the freedom to vote and the right to choose our protection. Atlanta, Stacy has been a tireless champion of your families. And we need her as your next governor.
But we know how to win because we've done it before. You all helped make my husband Joe president and he has delivered results again and again. And you you will make Stacey Georgia next Georgia but we have to act now. You all know this early voting starts in three days like you'll just said. So plan to make your plan to vote. Take your family to vote all your book clubs, your church groups, call everybody and get make a plan to go out and vote and don't forget that voting is really the bare minimum. Yeah, you know that and that's why you are all here. So keep going. Talk to everyone, you know, volunteer and get get involved in races up and down the ballot and I know that you've donated right yes.
A game and there are no spectators. We all of us are powerful. Don't forget that. Stacey has never given up on us and we aren't going to give up on her
we will send Stacey Abrams to the governor's mansion where she belongs.
Actually, take a moment and save the mayor wants to say a word.
Oh yeah. It's not here because this is important. This is vital that we make sure that Stacey Abrams becomes our next governor. We all have to go out and do all that we can to make sure we get our friends to go vote like you mentioned, Dr. Biden to make sure that we talk to our book clubs, our social club, our churches, make sure that everybody we know bolster Stacey Abrams up and down the ballot. We need to make sure we put the people in the in the people in office that can do the work the things that we need in Georgia, the thing we need right here in Atlanta, I'm begging you, a colleague that I can work with as it relates to healthcare, affordable housing education and a woman's right to choose. And all of the above the hands on this election, and I'm so glad that Dr. Biden, Joe Biden has come down here to let her voice be heard that George and see her represent us and to be able to say that it's time for us to put a woman in the governor's.
To Congresswoman nickimja Williams to Mayor Andre Dickens, and please join me one more time. And saying thank you to the most extraordinary incredible baseball mistake happened.
October 17, early voting starts Yeah, everybody you've ever met should know about it. People you're mad at people.
We need everyone across the state to show up the first week. of early voting. Yeah, let's go get it done.
Enjoy all the eggs that are fabulous. Ken, thank you all. Thank you all. Thank you all so much.
