Sadiq Khan is all set to win by a landslide in London, so why not allow a failed election candidate a moment or two in the sun? Cockburn was intrigued to see Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams pop up on his timeline this afternoon in a classic Twitter ‘Get out the vote’ campaign message.
Cockburn suspects there aren’t many political anoraks in London who have actually heard of the one-time gubernatorial nominee who aren’t already registered to vote. He was more interested in Abrams’ call for Londoners to cast a postal vote in May’s mayoral race. Her Fair Fight organization helped turn Georgia blue in 2020 and delivered them two senators in the January runoffs — by controversially registering tens of thousands of postal votes. Who better to front up a campaign for mail-in ballots?
https://twitter.com/SadiqKhan/status/1377310945815494659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1377310945815494659%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spectator.co.uk%2Fcoffee-house
Abrams told viewers that: ‘I know a thing or two about elections and democracy and I know every single vote counts.’ Given she lost her race for governor by some 54,723 votes and then refused to accept the result, Abrams does indeed know a thing or two about the fickle nature of democracy. But does she know much about London?
Judging from her video, the answer is: probably not. Despite City Hall’s £500 million ($689 million) COVID black hole, a rising crime rate, the loss of the Greater London Assembly’s premises and a clown car of candidates, Abrams blithely claimed that ‘London’s mayoral election is about building a brighter future for all Londoners after the pandemic. A more inclusive and equal future where all Londoners have the opportunities they need to fulfill their potential…. just like I’ve always fought for a fairer future for my home state of Georgia, Sadiq is fighting for a brighter future for London.’
Then again, as a former pseudonymous erotic novelist, Cockburn suspects it’s not the first time Abrams has had to whip up a sordid tale.
This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.