Former U.S. Rep. John Barrow knows the perils of redistricting better than just about anyone.
Once the last white Democratic member of the U.S. House from the Deep South, the redrawing of political boundaries led Barrow to move from Athens to Savannah to Augusta over his five-term tenure.
He calls himself the “most gerrymandered member of Congress in the history of the Republic” and he warns that the redrawing process, now underway again in Georgia, encourages a shift to the political extremes.
“What I find most destructive in our politics generally is the churning of districts in order to produce predetermined electoral outcomes,” Barrow told the Politically Georgia show on WABE. “And that’s what you do with gerrymandering: You dictate the outcome.”
He added: “The most destructive thing about drawing districts with that in mind is it destroys the bond between representatives and the people.”
Barrow joined Politically Georgia to explore the newly unveiled state Senate maps that followed a federal judge’s order to create two new majority-Black districts in metro Atlanta.
Senate Republicans carved out the new territories in a proposed map Monday that overhauls two primarily white districts held by rising Democratic stars into vastly different geographic footprints.
AJC reporter Martha Dalton also joins the show from Sumter County to discuss how the southwest Georgia community is preparing to say goodbye to Rosalynn Carter.
And the crew discusses U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s decision to endorse former President Donald Trump.
Links to today’s topics:
New Georgia Senate map targets Democrats and protects Republicans
Rosalynn Carter’s influence is deeply felt at her college alma mater
Georgia U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter endorses Donald Trump for president
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