Stacey Abrams endorsed the Rev. Raphael Warnock's bid for U.S. Senate on Thursday hours after the pastor of the famed Atlanta church entered the race, calling him a "proven leader" as she pledged to help him appeal to voters on the campaign trail.
The Democrat's endorsement gives Warnock an important ally as he tries to unify the party behind his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in November. Abrams, the 2018 gubernatorial nominee, was intensely involved in recruiting and preparing Warnock for his campaign.
“Wherever there is need, Reverend Warnock can be found on the front lines. And that's where we need him at this moment. On the front lines of the battle for the soul of America,” Abrams wrote to supporters.
“So today, as he kicks off his campaign, I am proud to endorse Reverend Raphael Warnock for the U.S. Senate because Georgia must have a leader who sees all of us and serves all of us.”
Warnock joined a crowded field of candidates running for the seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired at the end of last year because of health issues. The November race for his seat is a "jungle" special election with no primary to filter out party nominees.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, a conservative Republican, announced his campaign for the seat earlier this week. And two Democrats also intend to qualify: Matt Lieberman, an entrepreneur who is the son of former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Ed Tarver, a former federal prosecutor and state senator.
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Here’s what Abrams sent to supporters:
Friend,
For the past 15 years, I have watched Reverend Raphael Warnock lead on issues of social justice, economic access and voting rights.
I have fought beside him to end voter suppression. I worked with him to protect the Affordable Care Act and to expand Medicaid. I prayed with him as we worried for our fellow Americans who have not benefited from an economy that demands more and more from them but delivers less and less.
Wherever there is need, Reverend Warnock can be found on the front lines.
And that's where we need him at this moment. On the front lines of the battle for the soul of America.
So today, as he kicks off his campaign, I am proud to endorse Reverend Raphael Warnock for the U.S. Senate because Georgia must have a leader who sees all of us and serves all of us.
Georgia deserves a proven leader like Raphael Warnock - a son of South Georgia who knows our state inside and out - he's traveled its highways, visited its towns and served its people for decades.
But he can't win this campaign alone, that's where you come in:
Will you chip in today to become a Founding Donor of Reverend Warnock’s campaign for U.S. Senate in Georgia and help him kick off his campaign today?
We stood shoulder to shoulder on the toughest fights, against opponents who used their power to belittle and erase their fellow Georgians.
As the daughter of ministers, I deeply respect how he has led Ebenezer Baptist Church forward - living the truth of his calling by launching programs to serve families in public housing, HIV/AIDS patients in need of respite and those who struggle with addiction.
That's why I stand with Reverend Raphael Warnock as the next U.S. Senator for Georgia.
Join me today and stand with us as we show America what true leadership looks like.
Together in the fight,
Stacey Abrams
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