The City Schools of Decatur remain under a mandatory mask mandate, but that didn’t stop Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
The Democratic powerbroker posed maskless at an appearance last week at Glennwood Elementary School with students and principal – all of whom wore masks – as shown on photos posted on social media.
Among the Republicans who took notice of the Abrams gaffe were Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who could face a rematch with the Democratic frontrunner in November.
“Stacey Abrams wants state government mask mandates for Georgians and their children,” tweeted Mr. Kemp. “But it looks like they wouldn’t apply when she’s attending a photo op.”
Ms. Abrams joined high-profile Democrats, including President Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, caught violating indoor mask orders despite their support for pandemic facial-covering mandates.
Republican hopeful Jake Evans, who’s seeking the GOP nomination in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, tweeted: “Stacey Abrams is mask-less while all the children around her suffer. This is child abuse.”
Great to see Stacey Abrams fully supporting No Mask mandates for our school children. pic.twitter.com/4ISoFkWpij
— Mark Gonsalves (@MarkCongressGA7) February 6, 2022
Abrams spokesperson Lauren Groh-Wargo swung back Sunday by posting a statement blasting the “pathetic, transparent and silly attack.”
“It is shameful that our opponents are using a Black History Month reading event for Georgia children as the impetus for a false political attack and predictable that our opponents continue to look for opportunities to distract from their failed records when it comes to public health during the pandemic,” said the campaign statement.
The Abrams campaign retweeted Saturday a post from the principal, Holly Brookins, featuring four photos from the Black History Month event, including three photos showing Ms. Abrams with no mask.
The campaign tweet has since been deleted, and Ms. Brookins’ account has been removed.
No mask? pic.twitter.com/IMMRHDi2qT
— JD (@Jayrosen1971) February 6, 2022
The Decatur City Commission voted Jan. 18 to extend its face cover ordinance until Feb. 22.
“Decatur’s ordinance requires the wearing of masks or facial coverings in all outdoor public places where adequate social distancing cannot be maintained (i.e., at least six feet away from others not in the same household),” said the post on the city’s website.
Ms. Abrams, who lost the 2018 governor’s race to Mr. Kemp, is the prohibitive frontrunner for the Democratic gubernatorial nod, while Mr. Kemp faces Republican primary challenges from former Sen. David Perdue and former state Rep. Vernon Jones.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Jan. 26 showed Mr. Kemp leading the Republican primary with 43%, followed by Mr. Perdue with 36% and Mr. Jones with 10%.
Mr. Perdue issued a statement Sunday accusing the Democrat of hypocrisy over the massless photo.
“We all know Stacey Abrams’ hypocrisy knows no bounds. Liberals’ thirst for power during this pandemic has caused enormous damage to our kids, while the elite like Stacey continue living their lives,” he tweeted.
