Rep. Mesha Mainor (D-GA) has decided to officially switch parties and become a Republican. Mainor, who has represented District 56 in the Georgia House since January 2021, made her decision public on Tuesday.
Her decision to switch parties stems from her dissatisfaction with the way her Democrat colleagues demonized her over her support for a school choice bill and her refusal to back efforts to defund the police.
A Georgia state legislator from Atlanta has switched to the Republican Party after being at odds with Democrats for reasons including her support for school vouchers and disciplining prosecutors. https://t.co/lmiNDetYlc
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 12, 2023
Earlier this year, Mainor faced criticism from her fellow Democrats for supporting a school choice bill aimed at providing more opportunities to students attending Georgia’s lowest-rated schools. The bill, Georgia Senate Bill 233, proposed $6,500 vouchers to assist students with private school tuition and homeschooling expenses.
While the bill was eventually voted down by 16 House Republicans, Mainor expressed her disappointment with the criticism she received, saying, “When I decided to stand up on behalf of disadvantaged children in support of school choice, my Democrat colleagues didn’t stand by me.”
“They crucified me,” she added. “When I decided to stand up in support of safe communities and refused to support efforts to defund the police, they didn’t back me. They abandoned me.”
Speaking at a news conference outside the Georgia capitol on Tuesday, she said that she was “publicly slandered…in every way imaginable” for daring to step outside the party’s orthodoxy even though that was the right thing to do.
“I thought it was OK to not agree with those things as a Democrat. But they told me, ‘You know what, those are values we just don’t have,” she stated.
Speaking to Fox News, Mainor expressed the belief that the Democrat Party has taken advantage of the black community for far too long. She pointed out that despite the party receiving overwhelming support from the black community, little progress has been made.
“For decades, the Democrat Party has received the support of more than 90% of the black community. And what do we have to show for it?” she quizzed.
Representing a solidly blue district in Atlanta, Mainor emphasized that her decision was not political but rather a moral one.
Despite switching parties, Mainor made it clear that she will continue to work across party lines to deliver results for her community as she has “never hesitated to work across the aisle to deliver results for my community and the people I was elected to represent.”
Mainor has received considerable support since her party switch, which she finds both encouraging and humbling. She expressed gratitude for being embraced by individuals who appreciate her independent thinking, particularly as a black woman who dares to go against the party line.
Anticipating pushback from Democrats, Mainor noted that the Democrat Party is most threatened by black individuals who think for themselves. However, she remains undeterred by potential opposition as she says “it wouldn’t surprise” her. She also made it clear that the party left her, not the other way around.
I didn’t leave the Democrat Party.
The Democrat Party left ME when it embraced left-wing radicalism, lawlessness, and put the interests of illegal aliens over the interest of Americans.
I have nothing to apologize for.
— Rep. Mesha Mainor (@MeshaMainor) July 11, 2023
Moving forward, Mainor will continue her focus on education. “Education and the importance of school choice has been – and will continue to be – a key focus of mine,” she shared.
