A member of the Georgia state House of Representatives has switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, after breaking with her former party over issues like school choice and policing.
“My name is Rep. Meisha Mainor and today I made the decision to leave the Democrat Party,” Ms. Mainor wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “I represent a blue district in the city of Atlanta so this wasn’t a political decision for me. It was a MORAL one. I will NEVER apologize for being a black woman with a mind of my own.”
Ms. Mainor’s break with the Democratic Party came amid a disagreement over school choice legislation and support for police funding. Earlier this year Mainor was the only Democrat who voted for a bill that would have created $6,500 vouchers for students at schools performing in the bottom 25 percent of the state to help pay for private school tuition or homeschooling. The bill ultimately failed after enough Republicans joined the rest of the House Democrats who voted against the voucher system.
Ms. Mainor was also one of three Democrats to vote in 2021 in favor of HB 286; a bill that constrains the ability of county governing authorities to rapidly reduce funding for local police forces.
“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,” Ms. Mainor explained in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday. “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.”
Georgia Republicans welcomed Mainor’s party switch.
“We are delighted to welcome Rep. Mainor to the Georgia Republican Party and look forward to collaborating with her to advocate on behalf of hard working Georgians,” said Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon. “Our Party stands for empowering parents to be advocates for giving their children the best education possible, that every [Georgian] deserves to feel safe at home, at work, and in school; and to have the economic opportunity to build better lives.”
The Georgia Democratic Party, in turn, said, “Rep. Mesha Mainor’s switch to the GOP is a stinging betrayal of her constituents, who elected a Democrat to represent them in the state legislature.”
The Georgia Democrats said Ms. Mainor’s district “deserves a representative who will do the job they were elected to do, including fighting for high-quality public education. Georgia Democrats look forward to electing a strong Democrat next year in H.D. 56 who will serve the people, not personal political ambitions.”
Lawmakers Switching Sides
Ms. Mainor is not the only Democratic state legislator to have switched sides in recent months. Several Democratic state lawmakers have switched over to the Republican side this year.
Republicans gained a supermajority in the Louisiana House of Representatives in March after Democrat Rep. Francis Thompson switched party affiliations. Republicans now hold supermajorities in both houses of the Louisiana state legislature, potentially increasing their ability to override vetoes by Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.
In April, Louisiana state Rep. Jeremy LaCombe also switched to the Republican Party, adding to its supermajority.
North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham similarly handed Republicans a supermajority in her state’s General Assembly in April after she left the Democratic Party for the Republican side.
West Virginia state Rep. David Pritt also switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in April, adding to an existing Republican supermajority.
This year, South Carolina State Sen. Mia McLeod switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent.
State Democratic parties have picked up a couple of seats through party switches this year. While two Louisiana House Democrats switched to the Republican side, independent Rep. Roy Adams joined the Democratic Party in April.
New Jersey State Sen. Samuel Thompson switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in February. Mr. Thompson, who is 87 years old, said he made the decision after his fellow Republicans questioned his fitness to continue serving at his age. At the time he switched party affiliations, Mr. Thompson told NBC10 that he remained a supporter of former President Donald Trump and viewed the Trump presidency as a success.