RNC airs ad during MLB All-Star game slamming Democrats for 'lying' about Georgia's new voting laws - causing it to be moved
The Republican National Committee on Tuesday night aired an advert that accused Democrats of having 'lied' about Georgia's voting laws, which sparked Major League Baseball's decision to move their All-Star game away from the state and hold it in Colorado instead.
Georgia's Republican governor in March signed into law a bill which Democrats said curtailed voting rights.
Amid the outcry, film studios said they would boycott the state and stop filming there, and MLB abandoned plans to play their All-Star game in Atlanta.
On Tuesday, while the game was taking place, the RNC aired their campaign.
Melvin Everson, a Republican former member of the state House and a pastor, said during the advert: 'Democrats stole our All-Star Game to push their divisive political agenda.
Melvin Everson, a minister from Georgia and former state Republican in their House, starred in the 30-second advert produced by the RNC, which aired on Monday and Tuesday
Everson appeared in the advert, which aired on Monday and Tuesday, and said Democrats had stolen the All-Star Game from his state
On Tuesday the All-Star game was played in Denver, Colorado rather than Atlanta, where it was originally due to be staged
'Politicians and corporations lied, while black communities got hurt the most.
'Even though a majority of black voters support laws like voter ID.
'To Democrats it's just a game. But we're the ones who got played.'
The advert aired repeatedly on CNN on Tuesday night, as well as other channels. The RNC spent seven figures on the advert campaign, Fox News reported.
Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the RNC, said that the Democrat-orchestrated boycott of Georgia was hurting the community.
The All-Star game drew a large crowd to Denver, Colorado - to the anger of Atlanta, Georgia, which missed out
'The lies told by Democrat politicians and corporations about election integrity have real-life consequences, hurting Georgia families,' she said in a statement.
'Democrats don't care about the costs of their lies because their sole agenda is more power.
'The American people will hold Democrats accountable for their lies about election integrity because they know the security of our elections is too important.'
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit looking to block the Georgia law.
A federal judge last week ruled against a request to block portions of the law, which were connected to the observing of votes before upcoming runoff elections.