Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor made headlines last year when she switched political parties. She champions school choice, safe neighborhoods and a strong economy.
Our America: You’ve made a significant political shift by switching parties. Can you share what led to that decision and how it reflects the challenges you see for Atlanta and Georgia as a whole?
Rep. Mainor: You know, this was not a planned shift. When I was elected back in 2020, entering into office in 2021, I just realized there were several issues that I did not agree with the Democrat party on. The very first one, there was a bill to help children with special needs. I’m a physical therapist, and did not understand why Georgia Democrats did not want to help children with special needs. The next bill was one to defund the police. No one in my community wanted to defund the police. So again, I voted against the Democrats on that bill, and most recently, it was the school choice bill, which we call the Georgia Promise Scholarship, that thankfully passed. They were against that, and it’s for the lowest performing schools in the entire state of Georgia. Several measures like that, I just did not understand, and it seemed like the things that can help our community the most are the things that Georgia Democrats were completely against.
WATCH OUR FULL INTERVIEW WITH GEORGIA STATE REP. MESHA MAINOR
Our America: As someone who has focused on education and public safety, what do you see as the most pressing issues affecting Georgia voters, particularly in the upcoming election?
Rep. Mainor: The number one thing my constituents are talking about is inflation, the cost of things. Even if they’re business owners, they’re saying, “I’m doing the same amount of work, but I’m making less. Everything is just too expensive.” So what I’ve been trying to do is give people information on all of the tax incentives that we’ve done as Republicans, to put more money in people’s pockets. Gov. Kemp just made an announcement yesterday that there will be more tax rebates in the upcoming year for people to put more money in their pocket. We have incentives for small business owners. We have incentives for property owners. In addition to that, I created the Fulton technology and Energy Authority, which is a workforce development arm which aims to put people back to work when it comes to more renewable energy and technology-driven careers, instead of the traditional workforce development careers. We know that today’s youth really like technology. We want to help them get into careers they will enjoy.
Our America: Polls show a growing number of African Americans are reconsidering their traditional political allegiances. What do you think is driving this shift, and how do you plan to address these concerns in your campaign?
Rep. Mainor: When I was first elected, it was the middle of COVID. Everyone was at home, watching TV, and they were seeing what was going on with the government. You know, even in our schools, voters and citizens were realizing, “Oh, my goodness, I did not know that this is how the government worked, and this is how it impacted my daily life.”
Consider there were cities that shut down. And so Georgia was one of the states that said, “No, we’re not going to shut down. Business still needs to go forward.” So I think the shift started there, and it is continuing, because people are getting more involved. Just yesterday, I was canvassing, and I was talking to a voter, and he said, “We have a lot of people moving here from other places, but for the legacy residents, we are building capacity for people moving in. What about some tax exemptions for the legacy residents that have been here for a while?”
I represent a very historic black community, and so they are being killed by the tax hikes when it comes to property. So I thought that was a wonderful idea. And so I’m just excited that people are more engaged and they want the information. And I think I’m the perfect, perfect representative, because I love giving information.
Our America: Atlanta has faced many challenges in recent years, from economic disparities to crime. What are your top priorities to improve the lives of your constituents and support their pursuit of the American Dream?
Rep. Mainor: The first thing we have to do is make sure people’s civil and constitutional rights are upheld. We have detainees in our Fulton County jail that should not be detained. The law says people are due a speedy trial. The law says you must be indicted within a certain amount of time. But our Fulton County district attorney is not doing those things. People are literally sitting in our Fulton County jail for years without an indictment, and so that must stop immediately.
