A Georgia woman who was pardoned by President Trump last month announced she is running as a Republican against the state’s longest-serving congressman, Democratic Rep. John Lewis.
Angela Stanton-King, a pro-life advocate and the goddaughter of Alveda King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, announced Friday that she is running against Mr. Lewis with criminal justice reform and abortion as her primary focus.
“Thanks for your prayer,” she tweeted. “It’s official. I’m running for U.S. Representative for the 5th District of Georgia. This isn’t about replacing John Lewis, this is about picking up the torch and continuing the fight for Justice.”
Ms. Stanton-King was pardoned by Mr. Trump on Feb. 18 after serving two years in jail and six months in home confinement for her 2004 conviction in a vehicle-theft ring. She appeared in the BET Network docuseries “From the Bottom Up” and released the 2012 book, “Life of a Real Housewife.” Last week, Ms. Stanton-King joined other black Trump supporters in praying over the president in the Oval Office, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Ms. Stanton-King said she is entering politics as a voice for pro-life black women and to fight the Democratic Party’s pro-abortion agenda.
“These are no longer the days of marching over the Selma Bridge,” she told WXIA-TV, referring to Mr. Lewis’ role during the 1965 march on Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. “There is a different injustice we are fighting now, and it’s for the lives of our unborn children.”
“How can a dream live if we kill it, right? How many Martin Luther King Jr.s, and Malcom Xs, or Barack Obamas have we aborted?” she asked. “Every time you hear that the majority of Democratic candidates go on stage, they say poor women of color need access to abortion. I was born to a poor woman of color. I was a poor woman of color when I gave birth to my children. Who’s to say that their lives are worth any less than others? So, I think we need to take a different approach to the issue instead of constantly receiving funding for our own genocide.”
Mr. Lewis, a civil rights hero who is seeking an 18th term despite a Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, said his constituents trust his record.
“My constituents know me, they know my record, and they know that I have fought tirelessly for them for the last 33 years,” Mr. Lewis told The Journal-Constitution in an email Friday. “There is still much work left to do on guaranteeing civil rights to all people in this country, protecting and expanding access to health care, and ensuring that every American can freely cast a vote regardless of race or resources. With the support of my constituents, I look forward to getting into more good trouble in the years ahead.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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