Incumbents pay the price as new Georgia House map adds 5 Black districts
Special redistricting session begins Wednesday
A new Georgia House map unveiled Tuesday by Republican leaders increases the number of majority-Black districts, but a few members now find themselves in an uncomfortable situation: sharing a district with a colleague.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones urged the House to pass a map that includes five majority-Black districts. The draft map has 54 majority-Black districts, up from 49 on the current map.
Two of those new districts were drawn south of Atlanta, one was drawn in Douglas County and another two were drawn in the Macon area.
Those changes did not come without a cost. A handful of incumbents — six Democrats and 2 Republicans, now share a district with a colleague as a result of the redrawn lines. In other words, they will have to compete against a fellow lawmaker in the primary next year if they want to remain in office.
The new lines could put state Reps. Teri Anulewicz and Doug Stoner, both Democrats from Smyrna, in the same Cobb County district.
In DeKalb, freshman state Rep. Saira Draper of Atlanta is now on a collision course with state Rep. Becky Evans, also of Atlanta. State Reps. Greg Kennard and Sam Park, two Lawrenceville Democrats, might have to duke it out in the primary next spring for a district in Gwinnett County.
Only two Republicans face a similar predicament: state Reps. Beth Camp of Concord and David Knight of Griffin.
Georgia law requires state legislative candidates to be a resident of their district no later than one year before the general election. That deadline has already passed, so none of these eight lawmakers will be able to relocate.
“I’m saddened,” Rep. Camp told the AJC. “But the reality is we have to adhere to a judge’s court order that required districts be created between Macon and Atlanta, and unfortunately, I’m about midpoint between Macon and Atlanta.”
The 180-member chamber currently consists of 102 Republicans and 78 Democrats. Tuesday’s map is unlikely to significantly change that breakdown.
The new map comes as lawmakers kick off a special session Wednesday to redraw Georgia’s voting maps. A draft Senate map was released on Monday.
Congressional maps are still being finalized and will be released this week.