Democrats warn "fight is not over" after Georgia redistricting win
Democrats celebrated a small victory in Georgia on Wednesday as GOP leaders shelved plans to redraw the state's congressional maps for the 2028 elections. But they're warning the battle is far from won.Why it matters: Republicans hit pause on their plans amid fear that a redraw before November could energize Democratic voters, but Dems are trying to manifest that energy anyways.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a statement to Axios, said his party "will continue to keep the pressure on until the MAGA power grab is defeated and the American people prevail.""Georgia Republicans know that MAGA extremists will face a fierce backlash at the ballot box in November and beyond for their scheme to rig congressional maps in the middle of the decade," he said.Driving the news: Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns wrote in a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday that redistricting "deserves the same responsible, fact-driven approach that guides every policy we consider as lawmakers."As such, he said, the legislature would not attempt to redraw Georgia's congressional or state legislative lines at this year's special session.Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and other prominent GOP figures had pushed to draw out as many Democratic House members as possible ahead of 2028 after the Supreme Court weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act in April.Reality check: Even though Georgia Republicans are putting their redistricting efforts on pause for this year, they could still take them up at a later date."This fight is not over," state Rep. Jasmine Clark, the Democratic nominee in Georgia's 13th U.S. House district, warned in a statement on Wednesday.Still, she said, "This redistricting special session was completely unnecessary and I'm happy that Republican leaders are saying no to redrawing lines.""The massive wave of mobilization that brought this victory is just a preview of what is to come in November," said Georgia Democratic Party chair Charlie Bailey.
