Trending

Stacey Abrams tells Hollywood not to boycott Georgia after Bryan Kemp wins governor's race

With several celebrities posting on social media that they plan to boycott Georgia after Brian Kemp won the gubernatorial race, his former rival Stacey Abrams implored them not to do so.

>> Read more trending news

In a tweet Saturday evening, she wrote, "I appreciate the calls to action, but I ask all of our entertainment industry friends to support #FairFightGA - but please do not #boycottgeorgia. The hard-working Georgians who serve on crews & make a living here are not to blame. I promise: We will fight - and we will win."

She has heavily criticized several of Kemp’s actions as Secretary of State, which she called “voter suppression” tactics, such as regular purging of voter rolls, closing voter precinct sites and rejecting absentee ballots for minor issues such as possible signature mismatches. She lost the race by about 1.5 percentage points, or 55,000 votes out of 3.9 million.

Kemp has stated his support of the generous state production tax credits that have brought hundreds of Hollywood productions into Georgia over the past decade and generated billions of dollars in direct spending. The state is the most generous in the country in terms of direct tax credit payouts, in part because there is no cap.

Some entertainers who have used or supported #BoycottGeorgia on Twitter have been actress Alyssa Milano, "West Wing" actor Bradley Whitford, actor Steven Pasquale and actor Ron Perlman.

Writer Jacob York, who works in Atlanta for Adult Swim, responded on Twitter.

"When you say #boycottgeorgia you boycott me paying rent," he wrote. "You boycott raising kids, paying for braces and trying to make a living. All the artists I know in Georgia are mad as hell. But you saying 'boycott Georgia' primarily hurts people who already agree with you."