On one hand, state Rep. Mesha Mainor has an incumbency advantage baked in as she mounts a reelection campaign in a west Atlanta House district she has served for two terms. But that’s where her competitive edge ends.
In a district that voted for Democrat Joe Biden by more than 91% in 2020, Mainor is running as a Republican after switching parties last year.
Whether name recognition or party loyalty is stronger will be put to the test in House District 56, a puzzle piece-shaped boundary that includes neighborhoods surrounding Atlantic Station, Georgia Tech, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Morehouse College. Mainor says her values are the same as they were four years ago, when she was first elected to the seat.
“I have the exact same agenda that I had: public safety, access to health care, quality education and victim rights,” she said.
Her Democratic opponent, Bryce Berry, is campaigning on his opposition to an education bill in the Legislature that influenced Mainor’s decision to leave the Democratic Party.
Senate Bill 233, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in April, uses taxpayer money to subsidize the cost of private education. Parents of students in lower-performing schools can get $6,500 per year they can put toward a private school or homeschool education.
The legislation’s biggest champions, including top leaders in the state, say it gives kids in failing schools a chance at a better education. But critics, which have at times included both Democrats and Republicans in rural areas, say this program subsidizes rich families already paying for private education and further reduces money to improve public schools.
“Send your kids to whatever school you want to,” said Berry, a middle school teacher. “My issue is when you come for my school and take money from my school to send to a private school. I don’t like that.”
Berry said he’d rather see the state update the formula it uses to fund schools by adjusting funding based on poverty and literacy rates.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Mainor was the only House Democrat to vote for the plan. The new law allows parents to enroll their children in schools closer to their jobs or near family members’ homes, she said.
“People are really excited about the Georgia Promise Scholarship,” she said. “If anything, they’re upset that it doesn’t start until next year.”
Most voters in Georgia oppose using taxpayer funds to pay for private schooling. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in January found about 44% of respondents were strongly opposed and about 16% were somewhat opposed to the idea.
Mainor’s dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party goes beyond that one bill.
“I don’t agree with their policies. They make no sense for my community, so I switched,” she said, referencing bills on immigration and gang violence. She also criticized the way the Democrats operate during critical votes.
“On the Democrat side, you must do what they tell you to do or you are blackballed. On the Republican side, they understand that everybody’s district is different,” she said.
State Rep. Sam Park, a Democrat from Lawrenceville and minority whip in the House, strongly opposed Mainor’s characterization of the party.
“Running for office is about serving your constituents who voted for you because they trusted you to do what’s in their best interest, not your own. It’s unfortunate that Mesha Mainor has made this all about herself,” he said. “My hope is that the voters in her district this year will send a clear message that, again, politics is not about an individual person trying to climb the ladder. It’s about serving the people.”
Mainor said she is open to following her constituents’ lead on certain issues. For example, she voted against Senate Bill 362, which restricts the ability of new unions to form in the state.
“People in my district said, ‘Mesha, please don’t vote for the bill.’ So I voted against the bill,” she said. “Because I needed my community to know, look, I support you. If you don’t like this bill, I will not vote for it.”
One vote Mainor won’t disclose is whom she’s supporting in the upcoming presidential election.
“I’m just like every other citizen,” she said. “When I walk into the ballot box, it’s just me and the booth.”
Berry said he wants to improve conditions for renters in the state and increase health care options for people in the district.
“The cost of living is hurting people every day. Gas is too high. The cost of housing is too high. Everything is just too high,” he said.
He’s confident about his chances.
“I’m not going to win it just because I’m a Democrat,” he said. “It’s about showing up. It’s about reaching out to people. It’s about meeting the needs of everyone.”
Mainor, too, is self-assured.
“I am the first Black woman Republican serving in the state Capitol,” she said. “I’m not like anyone else in the Capitol. I’m an individual.”
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