Mesha Mainor, a Democratic representative for District 56 in the Georgia state House since January 2021, recently announced her switch to the Republican Party.
This decision came after she supported a GOP-led school choice bill and was met with immense backlash from other members of her party. In an exclusive interview with Fox News, she spoke out about why she felt this change was necessary.
The Need for Change in the Democratic Community
Mainor expressed her disappointment with how members of her own party treated her when she voiced support for school choice and stood against defunding police forces.
She said that “for far too long, the Democrat Party has gotten away with using and abusing the black community” and that “the most dangerous thing to the Democrat Party is a black person with a mind of their own.” Despite this experience, Mainor still maintained that she would continue to work across all party lines going forward.
A Moral Decision Above All Else
Mainor clarified that her decision to switch parties wasn’t based on political gain but rather on moral grounds. She stated that it was not only important for disadvantaged children to have access to better education through school choice programs but also essential for black communities in general to receive more than just empty promises from Democrats during election years.
To illustrate this point, Mainor cited poor reading proficiency levels at schools within her district as well as students’ inability to solve basic math problems being consequences of inaction by Democrats in power.
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
Growing Support From Republicans
Overall, Mainor has been met with much encouragement from Republicans regarding switching parties. This newfound acceptance is an unfamiliar feeling compared to what she experienced while attempting advocating on behalf of minority groups within her district while still being part of the Democratic party. In fact, her colleagues gave away $1,000 checks in attempts to persuade people into running against her due solely because they didn’t like how she voted.
Moving forward as a Republican member of Congress, Mainor hopes that focusing on expanding educational opportunities as well as increasing GOP majority in state legislature positions throughout Georgia will be able to help further these causes even more so than before.