Texas Government Greg Abbott announced Monday-afternoon that he will not throw the first pitch at the home opener of the Texas Rangers, as planned, due to Major League Baseball’s reaction to the recently passed Georgia voting laws.
“I was looking forward to throwing the first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ opening game at home, until @MLB passed an incorrect story about Georgian electoral law reforms. It’s a shame that America’s pastime is being affected through partisan politics., ”the Republican governor tweeted
In an additional statement, Abbott said he “will not participate in an event held by MLB, and that the state will not attempt to host the All-Star Game or other MLB special events.”
On Friday, MLB announced that this summer’s All-Star Game was being moved from Atlanta in response to a new Georgian law that has civil rights groups concerned about the possibility of limiting voting rights for people of color.
Commissioner Rob Manfred made the decision to move the All-Star Game and events, along with the amateur draft, out of Atlanta after discussions with individual big leagues and the Players Alliance, an organization of black players formed after George Floyd’s death last year .
Last month, Georgian Governor Brian Kemp signed a sweeping Republican-sponsored bill with new restrictions on postal voting and more legislative control over the way elections are held. The bill, which also prohibits volunteers from handing out food and water to voters waiting in line, was finalized on March 25, about 15 miles from the Braves stadium, Truist Park.
The new voting bill came in the wake of the first Democratic victories in Georgia’s presidential and senatorial elections in a generation, leading to repeated unproven claims by former President Donald Trump that the state election was fraudulent. Proponents of the new law have said it only ensures electoral integrity and eradicates potential fraud, while critics have described it as a voter suppression tactic that would make it more difficult for minorities, especially people of color, to vote, thereby referring to reducing the number of votes. access in urban communities that lean Democrat.
In his statement Monday, Abbott denounced MLB for “perpetuating false political narratives.”
After going 1-2 in a season-opening road series against the Kansas City Royals, the Rangers will return to a packed crowd at Globe Life Field on Monday afternoon for their home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.
This report uses information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.