‘The Democrat Party Left ME’: GA Lawmaker Joins Republicans Over Parental Rights, Much More

A Georgia lawmaker announced Tuesday she has left the Democratic Party because of its “left-wing radicalism”, “lawlessness”, and putting “the interests of illegal aliens over the interest of Americans.”

Mesha Mainor has represented District 56 in the Georgia House since January 2021, but announced she was switching to the Republican Party–making her the first-ever Black woman to serve as a Republican in the Georgia General Assembly.

My name is Rep. Meisha Mainor and today I made the decision to leave the Democrat Party.

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. pic.twitter.com/q3snDGejCN

— Rep. Mesha Mainor (@MeshaMainor) July 11, 2023

“I was born into the Democrat Party. It’s the party that fights for the underserved, giving a voice to the voiceless. A party of tolerance and open-mindedness. The party for everybody. The party for those who have been forgotten,” she said during a press conference Tuesday. “I wish I could stand here and say that the Democrats at the Capitol are all of those things. But that’s just not true. It is a stereotype that is not a reality.”

Now she is urging other Democrats to reexamine the party’s values.

“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,” Mainor tweeted Tuesday. 
 

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

“I am encouraging more Black Americans and Black Democrats in particular – you might have this coat on, but I suggest you look at the lining. See what’s on the inside,” she said.

Mainor has angered her former party members by frequently voting for legislation that is at odds with the Democratic faction including her support for school vouchers and the police.

“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 told 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 says she was pushed to leave the party claiming many of her colleagues “relentlessly tried to sabotage every single thing that I have done for District 56” and “publicly slandered me in every way imaginable.” One colleague promised a $1,000 reward to anyone who ran against her. 

“For far too long, the Democrat Party has gotten away with using and abusing the black community,” Mainor said. “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 an interview with Axios in April, Mainor had vowed not to switch parties, but she’s promising to continue the work of supporting her constituents after becoming a Republican. 

“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 focus not just on preaching to the choir but growing the congregation.”

Mainor anticipates more criticism for her decision.

“The most dangerous thing to the Democrat Party is a black person with a mind of their own. So, it wouldn’t surprise me,” she said.

WATCH: GA State Rep. @MeshaMainor explains what led her to switch parties and become a Republican. Backing the blue and parental rights were top issues for her constituents but state Democrats turned their backs on Georgians. #gapol pic.twitter.com/wqRbd6s1pF

— RSLC Rapid Response (@RSLC_Rapid) July 12, 2023

As CBN News reported, Former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party last year, denouncing the party and its leadership.

“I was drawn to the ideals of a big tent inclusive Democratic Party that stood up for working men and women,” Gabbard said, “that stood up for the little guy.”

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, who are hostile to people of faith and spirituality, who demonize the police, who protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, who believe in open borders, who weaponize the national security state to go after their political opponents. And above all, who are dragging us ever closer to nuclear war,” Gabbard said in a short video clip that was shared on Twitter. 

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