Greg Abbott will not throw first pitch after MLB hits out at Georgia voting laws

Texas governor was due to appear at Rangers’ opener on Monday
MLB moved All-Star game from Georgia after new laws passed

Texas governor Greg Abbott said on Monday that he won’t throw the ceremonial first pitch as planned at the Texas Rangers’ home opener, the latest jab in a fight that is pushing corporate America into the political battle over voting rights.

The Republican governor informed the Rangers via a letter, citing Major League Baseball’s decision to move the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s sweeping new voting laws, which include new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Critics of the law say it will make it more difficult for minority groups to vote in Georgia.