Trump pressures Abrams to give up in Georgia

President Trump called on Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams to “move on” in the hotly contested Georgia governor’s race that remains too close to call.

“.@BrianKempGA ran a great race in Georgia – he won. It is time to move on!,” Trump tweeted on Friday morning.

Republican nominee Brian Kemp and Abrams are locked in a tight governor’s race as absentee and provisional ballots are still being counted.

{mosads}According to The Associated Press, Kemp currently holds a 62,709-vote lead, with 100 percent of precincts reporting. But the race has not yet been called by AP or major news outlets.

Kemp has already declared victory, and on Thursday, he announced that he was stepping down as Georgia’s secretary of State as he begins to prepare for his transition.

But Abrams has not conceded, insisting that her effort will not end until all the votes are counted. Her team is arguing that there are enough uncounted ballots to shrink Kemp’s total to below 50 percent, which would trigger a Dec. 4 runoff. Kemp is currently sitting slightly above the 50-percent threshold, which means he’d avoid a runoff.

Her legal team filed a lawsuit in Dougherty County, Ga., on Thursday over absentee ballots. Her lawyer is arguing for votes to be counted that were received after the deadline, alleging that some requested absentee ballots weren’t delivered on time because of Hurricane Michael.

“We are in this race until we’re convinced that every vote is counted,” Lauren Groh-Wargo, Abrams’s campaign manager, said at Thursday’s press conference. “We don’t believe any of these numbers are credible.”

“These are answers that fall at the feet of Brian Kemp.”

In a subsequent tweet, Trump questioned why there are still outstanding ballots in Georgia and Florida, which also has a gubernatorial and a Senate race that appear likely headed for recounts.

The president mockingly said that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be blamed.

“You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia — but the Election was on Tuesday?” Trump also tweeted Friday morning.

“Let’s blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!”