Mainor: 'This wasn’t a political decision for me. It was a MORAL one'

Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor (R-Dist. 56) | legis.ga.gov

By ATL Standard Report

Jul 19, 2023

Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor has announced that she is making the controversial move of switching from the Democratic Party to the GOP, saying that her decision to go Republican is due to moral aspects. Mainor took to social media on Tuesday to make the announcement, saying she is unapologetically leaving the party.

"My name is Rep. Meisha Mainor and today I made the decision to leave the Democrat Party," Congresswoman Mainor tweeted. "I represent a blue district in the city of Atlanta so this wasn’t a political decision for me. It was a a MORAL one. I will NEVER apologize for being a black woman with a mind of my own."

According to a report by Fox News, Mainor had raised concerns about being allegedly mistreated by the Democratic Party. She specifically referenced their response for her support for school choice. She said the party "crucified" and "abandoned" her. These factors, among others, played a significant role in choosing to change parties.

"When I decided to stand up on behalf of disadvantaged children in support of school choice, my Democrat colleagues didn’t stand by me," said Mainor, according to Fox News. "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."

Mainor has served since January 2021 as a Democrat who has represented District 56 in the Georgia House. Earlier this year she supported Georgia Senate Bill 233, which is a school choice bill that is aimed at providing vouchers to students attending the lowest performing schools in the state. Mainor claimed that her Democratic colleagues expressed dissatisfaction with her decision. As a Republican, Mainor intends to maintain her focus on education and particularly emphasized school choice.

Mainor is not the only House member to switch from Democrat to Republican, as Rep. Vernon Jones also made a similar transition in 2021, according to Fox News.

American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schultz also took to social media to highlight the importance of Mainor's transition from the Democratic Party and the need to prioritize students.

"School choice is such a crucial issue for the black community, Georgia Rep. @MeshaMainor just LEFT the Democratic Party over it," Schultz said in a tweet. "@SchoolChoiceNow has been in her corner since day one. School choice transcends politics (unless you’re the Big Schooling Unions). This is about prioritizing students over systems."