Democrats are increasing the pressure on Matt Lieberman to drop out of a special Senate election in Georgia, hoping to clear the field for the Rev. Raphael Warnock .

Stacey Abrams , the 2018 Georgia Democratic nominee for governor and arguably the highest-profile active Democrat in the state, called on Lieberman to drop out on Thursday morning. Democrats fear Liebermans presence in the race could make it possible for Republicans to claim the top two slots in Novembers all-party primary and lock Democrats out of a January runoff election.

Abrams cited HuffPosts reporting on racist tropes included in Liebermans self-published novel Lucius and said she was fearful that his continued presence in the race would hurt Democratic efforts to take control of the U.S. Senate.

Ive been deeply disturbed by the information that has come about not only his book, but also some of his comments, Abrams said during a virtual press conference. I think that Matt may be a good person, but he is not the right candidate. I think the best result for all is for Matt to step back and realize that Rev. Warnock is the right candidate for the state of Georgia.