Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on State Senate Passage of Republicans’ Congressional Map

Today, Republicans in the Georgia Senate passed along party lines their proposed congressional map, just 50 hours after it was released to the public and fellow lawmakers. As Republicans continue to rush the once-a-decade legislation without giving the public sufficient time to weigh in, Scott Hogan, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, released the following statement:

“Georgia Republicans are pulling the same stunt with their congressional redistricting proposal as they did with their State House and Senate proposals – ramming a rigged map through the legislature to evade public scrutiny. The GOP is clearly scared to death of Georgia voters and willing to do anything to suppress Georgians’ voices in a desperate attempt to hold on to their fading power. Democrats will not stop fighting for fair maps that reflect our state, because Georgians deserve better than this sham of a redistricting process Republicans have led.”

Background on Republicans’ proposed congressional map:

Republicans’ congressional map does not reflect the partisan makeup of Georgia.

• Georgia is evenly divided politically, yet 9 of the 14 districts (64%) were drawn to favor the GOP.

Republicans’ congressional map minimizes the voting power of people of color.

• Georgia is likely already a majority-minority state, yet only 5 of the 14 proposed districts are majority-minority districts.
  • The growth in Georgia’s population over the last decade was driven by 1 million new people of color, while the non-Hispanic white population in Georgia decreased between 2010 and 2020.
• District 6 is made whiter and less competitive. 
  • The Black, Hispanic, and Asian population all decreased, while the white population increased from 58% to 67%.
• District 2 is redrawn in a way that reduces the Black voting age population below 50%. 
  • Democrats’ proposed congressional map demonstrated that this district can remain a majority-Black district, yet Republicans’ map chooses not to.
• Several majority-minority counties are unnecessarily split up. In multiple areas, voters of color are moved from districts where they have the opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice to majority white districts.
  • Cobb County, which is a majority-minority county, is split between four congressional districts, with three of those districts being majority white. Black voters in Southwest Cobb county are put in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s district.
  • Gwinnett County, which is a majority-minority county, is split between three districts, with two being majority white. Many voters of color in Gwinnett are moved into the majority white 9th district.
  • Henry County, which is majority-minority, is split between three districts.

Republicans’ congressional map targets two women incumbents.

• Congressional District 6, currently represented by Rep. Lucy McBath, is diverse and the most competitive district in the existing map. Republicans chose to make the district whiter and uncompetitive. 
  • Unfortunately, this is indicative of a pattern with Georgia Republicans. The only incumbent Republicans targeted in the State Senate map passed by the legislature is the lone Asian-American woman in the Senate.
• Republicans drew Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux out of their proposed 7th Congressional District, which she currently represents.

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