Democratic representative’s move could prompt school choice passage in Georgia
Could a state lawmaker’s jump from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party lead to the passage of school choice in Georgia?
Rep. Mesha Mainor of Atlanta announced her intention Tuesday to switch to the Republican Party, drawing expected responses from her new and old parties.
During this year’s legislative session, Mainor voted in favor of Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, a measure other Democrats and some Republicans opposed. It would have created state-funded education savings accounts.
“Our state and nation would be far better off if there were more principled lawmakers like Rep. Mainor around,” Buzz Brockway, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s vice president of public policy, said in a statement to The Center Square when asked what the move means for school choice. “She has prioritized the best interests of her constituents, especially those who are impoverished and reside in zoned zip codes with limited educational options.
“Rep. Mainor’s decision is reflective of a growing national movement in favor of educational opportunity — the most recent example being a poll showing that 71% of Americans support the concept of school choice,” Buzz Brockway added. “Crucially, 73% of African Americans and 66% of Democrats back school choice as well.