Redistricting fight is coming to GA. Lawmakers and candidates respond

States across the U.S. are in a redistricting arms race as both parties scramble to increase their number of seats in Congress.

Texas, California, and Virginia made moves to redraw their congressional lines earlier this year, but a Supreme Court decision in Louisiana has opened the doors for other states, particularly in the South, to follow suit.

Tennessee lawmakers were the first to make a major move following the Louisiana decision, splitting up majority Black districts in Memphis and eliminating the state's last Democratic-held congressional seat.

Now, the redistricting fight will come to Georgia as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp released a proclamation Wednesday calling for a special session under the Gold Dome to redraw district lines. Kemp said previously the move would not impact the 2026 midterm races, where early voting is already underway, but would be in effect for the 2028 election cycle.

Georgia lawmakers will return to Atlanta on June 17 to "consider enacting, revising, repealing, or amending general law for the division of the State into appropriate districts ... in light of the United States Supreme Court decision in Louisiana," Kemp's proclamation reads. Lawmakers will also debate a change to ballots that would remove QR codes, an issue that has been questioned in the state since the 2020 election.

Here's how lawmakers — and candidates hoping to become lawmakers — have responded to the redistricting decision.

Warnock says Republicans 'robbing' Georgians of their voice

Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has been vocal about the Louisiana decision in the weeks since, and has long made voting rights and protections a key part of his platform.

"Georgians are angry about the broken promises of this President. Everything is more expensive because of an endless war and reckless tariffs. On top of that, 1.2 million Georgians saw their health care premiums double, all to fund tax cuts for billionaires. Now, the same people who robbed Georgians of their doctors are robbing Georgians of their voice by redrawing the lines," Warnock said in a statement Wednesday. "Republicans under the Gold Dome are using their powers, not to make life more affordable, but to escape accountability from the people."

State Rep. Eric Gisler, who represents parts of Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, said the Louisiana decision "did not invalidate Georgia's maps or require the legislature to redraw them," but instead made fighting "racial gerrymandering" more difficult.

"Georgia can continue the cycle of endless partisan redistricting, or we can choose to draw districts that respect communities, county lines, and voters," Gisler said in a statement. "Regardless of what maps are ultimately passed, voters should remember this: no district line can overcome an engaged electorate. High turnout, civic engagement, and community organizing still matter. If citizens stay involved and hold leaders accountable, even the more carefully engineered political maps will fail."

Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta and a leading Democratic candidate for the governor's race in Georgia, said the Republicans were "taking orders from Trump" and that the redistricting choice was a "blatant attempt to dilute Black voting power." She said she would veto any map to cross her desk, if elected, that was "designed to suppress fair representation."

During a roundtable with voting rights activists, Bottoms announced the "Johnson-Lewis Voting Rights Act" as part of her gubernatorial platform, honoring civil rights leaders John Lewis and Lenoir Johnson.

Jasmine Clark is running in Georgia's 13th congressional district, the seat previously held by the late David Scott, in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Atlanta. She currently serves as a state representative and was a vocal advocate for the recent release of double amputee Rodney Taylor from an ICE detention center in Georgia.

"When Republicans can't win, they change the rules of the game. Gov. Kemp is calling us in for a special session so Republicans can redraw the lines and eliminate Black representatives and all of the gains we've made since the Civil Rights Movement," Clark said in a post on X.

Republicans applaud Kemp, call for 'aggressive' action

The Georgia Republican Party called Kemp's action "decisive" and said it gives state legislators "the opportunity to do what's right for Georgia."

"We must now move forward with aggressive redistricting that fully eliminates racially gerrymandered districts and draws new maps rooted in traditional, race-neutral principles: compactness, contiguity, respect for county and municipal boundaries, and keeping communities of interest together," state party Chairman Josh McKoon said in a statement. "Georgians deserve fair districts that reflect the will of the voters — not artificial racial quotas or outdated mandates that divide our state along racial lines."

Republican lieutenant governor candidate David Clark was quick to demand Kemp call a special session as soon as the Louisiana decision was passed, calling it a "great day for people who love the constitution."

"The Voting Rights Act of 1965 originally mandated these rules to stop racist, Jim Crow Democrats from disenfranchising Black voters. Thankfully, voters in the state of Georgia finally rejected 150 years of Democrat rule over two decades ago," Clark said in an April 29 statement.

Now, Clark celebrated Kemp's decision and said it "is the time to get this done."

Brad Raffensperger, the current Georgia Secretary of State and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, said he "fully support(s)" the governor's decision.

"He is following the law, respecting the Supreme Court's decision, and providing the steady leadership Georgians expect and deserve. I look forward to continuing our work together in the months ahead," he wrote on X.

The same message was echoed by the Republican Party of Georgia's 9th District, in the northeastern corner of the state.

"This matters. The lines drawn in this process will help shape Georgia's congressional, State Senate, State House, and Public Service Commission districts for the 2028 election cycle," the organization said on X. "We encourage the General Assembly to create compact districts that keep communities together. Fair maps should respect local communities, provide accurate representation, and give voters confidence that their voices are being heard. Republicans cannot afford to tune this out. Redistricting and election law are not inside-baseball issues."

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, and newly elected U.S. House Representative Clay Fuller all previously supported redistricting calls in Georgia.

Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].