(ConservativeFreePress.com) – Democratic Representative Lucy McBath of Georgia announced her intention to run for re-election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in 2024. This decision follows the approval of a Republican-led redistricting plan by a federal judge, which reconfigured her current 7th District seat to favor the GOP.
McBath, based in Atlanta, has expressed her determination to continue challenging the new district maps legally. However, she has resolved to campaign in the 6th District if the current redistricting remains effective for the 2024 election cycle. In her statement, she emphasized her refusal to let a small group of extremist Republicans determine the end of her congressional tenure and expressed hope that the judiciary would not permit the state legislature to undermine the will of Georgia voters.
The approved redistricting changes were made following a court ruling that found the existing district boundaries discriminatory against Black voters, particularly in west Atlanta. The new configuration creates a majority-Black district in west Atlanta but divides McBath’s east Atlanta district into neighboring areas that lean Republican.
This is not the first time redistricting has impacted McBath’s congressional career. A well-known advocate for gun control, she was first elected in the 6th District in 2018. Following redistricting in 2021, which rendered the 6th District heavily conservative, McBath successfully ran in the 7th District by defeating an incumbent Democrat.
Republican Representative Rich McCormick, who currently represents the 6th District, is also expected to switch districts under the new plan.
Despite these changes, the overall party control of Georgia’s congressional seats, currently standing at nine Republicans to five Democrats, is not anticipated to shift significantly.
In addition to the congressional map, Judge Steve Jones approved new maps for the state legislature, which Democrats have criticized as gerrymandered. They argue that while these new maps may address some representation issues identified by the courts, they introduce new problems, particularly in terms of partisan gerrymandering. State Representative Sam Park (D) commented that the new maps seem to exchange racial discrimination for partisan gerrymandering under Republican control, failing to accurately reflect the diversity of the state.
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