A Georgia state lawmaker is fed up with the Democrat Party.
Mesha Mainor, a Democrat who has represented District 56 in the Georgia State House since January 2021, is switching her party affiliation to Republican.
“Today I made the decision to leave the Democrat Party.” Rep. Mainor posted on Twitter on 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.”
“When I decided to stand up on behalf of disadvantaged children in support of school choice, my Democrat colleagues didn't stand by me,” Mainor explained of her decision in a statement to Fox News Digital. “They crucified me. 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.”
“For far too long, the Democrat Party has gotten away with using and abusing the black community,” she added. “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? I represent a solidly blue district in the city of Atlanta. This isn't a political decision for me. It's a moral one.”
In a video pinned to her Twitter, Mainor accused Democrats of turning against her for advocating for school choice.
Mainor defended her position by noting that some schools in her district have a 3% reading proficiency rate and that many kids cannot do simple math.
“I support school choice, parent rights and opportunities for children to thrive, especially those that are marginalized and tend to fail in school,” Mainor said at the time. “The Democrats at the [Georgia State] Capitol took a hard position and demanded every Democrat vote against children and for the teachers union. I voted yes for parents and yes for children not failing schools.”
Earlier this year, Mainor supported a school choice bill that would have expanded opportunities for students who attend Georgia's lowest-rated schools.
Georgia Senate Bill 233 would have created $6,500 vouchers for students at schools performing in the bottom 25% of the state, to help pay for private school tuition and homeschooling expenses if they were inclined. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) supported the bill until it was defeated when 16 House Republicans voted it down.
Mainor said that she has “been met with much encouragement” over her decision to switch parties and noted that it's “humbling to be embraced – for the first time in a long time – by individuals who don't find fault in a black woman having a mind of her own and be willing to buck the party line.”
Mainor said she will continue to focus on education and expanding the Republican majority in the House.
“Education and the importance of school choice has been – and will continue to be – a key focus of mine,” she said. “But outside of education, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Georgia General Assembly to tackle the most pressing issues facing our state and to help grow the Republican Party, helping us not focus not just on preaching to the choir but growing the congregation.”
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GREAT INTELLIGENT LADY. WE need more like her. thank you for standing up for AMERICA and AMERICA’S CHILDREN ! ! ! ……………. Paul
I applaud this woman for “doing the right thing for her constituents” Political parties are feckless drags on government and should be abolished. What is very concerning is the 16 Republican’s that voted against the school choice bill. They should be recalled or impeached. These RINO cowards probably took some bribe money. .Their bank accounts need to be investigated.
We desperately need more politicians with the MORAL COURAGE this lady has demonstrated, to abandon the mindless, corrupt party that abandoned HER.
Welcome to the Republican Party. Sometimes it just takes people a little longer to figure it out.