U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath will shift districts for a third election cycle in a row, announcing shortly after a federal judge signed off on Georgia’s new congressional map that she will seek her next term in the 6th District in west metro Atlanta.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones on Thursday approved maps that the Republican-led General Assembly drew during a special session earlier this month. The new congressional map protects the GOP’s 9-5 advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation by creating a new majority-Black district in west metro Atlanta, while also dismantling McBath’s existing Gwinnett County-based 7th District that was Democratic-leaning but not majority-Black.
Following the ruling, McBath said in a statement that her work in Congress was not finished, particularly on the issue of gun control in honor of her murdered son, Jordan. She accused Republican leaders of attempting to gerrymander her out of office.
“I hope that the judicial system will not allow the state Legislature to suppress the will of Georgia voters,” she said. “However, if the maps passed by the state Legislature stand for the 2024 election cycle, I will be running for reelection to Congress in GA-06, because too much is at stake to stand down now.”
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican who currently represents the 6th District, plans to run in the newly drawn 7th. And long-serving Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott released a statement saying he will run for reelection in the 13th District, which is his current district. The 13th was redrawn by Republicans but still favors a Democratic candidate.
“I look forward to seeking reelection to represent the 13th Congressional District in the next Congress. The lines may move, but my commitment to serve the people in the 13th District, my state of Georgia, and our great nation remains as strong as ever,” Scott said.
The new 6th includes parts of Cobb County that McBath represented when she was first elected in 2018. But after the Republican-controlled Legislature signed off on a new map that made it unlikely for McBath to win in 2022, she decided to run in the newly drawn 7th District instead.
McBath defeated fellow U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux in the Democratic primary, then coasted to a win in the general election.
But in the meantime, Democrats and left-leaning groups challenged the maps on the basis that they diluted Black voting power. The courts ultimately agreed, and the General Assembly signed off on new maps during the special session that ended earlier this month.
Jones’ ruling makes it likely these revised maps will be in place for the 2024 election.
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