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Georgia Democratic lawmaker defects to GOP

Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor said she believes the Republican platform on education and public safety aligns more with her values.

Alex Slitz/AP

By: Scripps News Staff

Posted

Mesha Mainor, who represents Atlanta in the Georgia House of Representatives, announced she is no longer a Democrat.

"I represent a blue district in the city of Atlanta so this wasn’t a political decision for me. It was a MORAL one," Mainor stated on Twitter.

Mainor said she decided to switch to the Republican Party because their platform aligns more with the issues she feels are most important in her district: education and public safety.

"Right now, there's schools that only 3% of children are meeting proficiency. That's not acceptable," Mainor said on Fox News. "The option that Democrats are giving, 'Keep them there until we fix it. We'll get it better soon.' But it's been like that for 50 years."

Mainor also notes that she was always against the "Defund the Police" movement, which many Democrats backed after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

"When I opposed efforts to defund the police, many of my colleagues called me a sellout. I laughed at them," Mainor stated. "The only group I have EVER sold out to is my constituents who deserve to live in safe communities, not war zones."

Republicans celebrated Mainor's decision to join the party, pushing fundraising efforts and vowing to work with her on issues she's passionate about.

"We welcome Representative Mainor to our party and look forward to working with her on issues for the benefit of hardworking Georgians," Gov. Brian Kemp said.

The chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, called Mainor's defection a "betrayal" of the voters who elected her.

Mainor is now the only Black member of the Republican Party of Georgia's state lawmakers.