Georgia WFP Condemns Attacks on Black Political Power

ATLANTA, GA—Fallon McClure, Southeast Deputy Regional Director of the Working Families Party, issued the following statement in response to Governor Brian Kemp’s harmful decisions to redraw voting maps and sign HB 369 into law: 

“In the past 24 hours, Governor Brian Kemp has set Georgia back decades. His abhorrent decision to call a special session to redraw Georgia’s voting maps, one day after signing House Bill 369 into law, makes it crystal clear that Republicans are shaking in their boots at the thought of losing power and are desperately trying to cheat their way to the top. 

“Instead of winning by delivering on the issues that matter to working families in Georgia—like healthcare, housing, and the economy—or opening their arms to the diverse voters that want to make our state better, Georgia Republicans have chosen a path of no return: a coordinated, calculated, and retaliatory attack on Black and Democratic voters whose existence and growing power threaten the Republican lie that Georgia is still deep-red. 

“If we were, Republicans wouldn’t need to pass laws like HB 369, which specifically targets the 5 largest, Black-led, Democratic counties in Georgia, making key local elections nonpartisan in those counties only. Why? Because those counties turned out overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in 2020 and again for Kamala Harris in 2024. Because Fulton County’s Black woman district attorney refused to let Donald Trump get away with election interference. Because Republicans know they stand no chance of ever winning those counties again, unless they rig the game. 

“By removing party affiliation from the ballot and moving these elections to May instead of November, Republicans are hoping to confuse voters, shirk accountability, and suppress turnout among low-propensity Black, brown, and young voters. 

“We know our history. This is the Jim Crow playbook. 

“Now, by calling a special session to redraw Georgia’s Congressional and state legislative maps, Governor Kemp is leading the most extreme attempt of any state yet to manipulate the rules of our democracy and protect Republican power. There’s no way to describe it but racist, voter suppression tactics rooted in fear of Black power. 

“If Governor Kemp and his allies think they can get away with this—that these shady moves guarantee Republicans victory in 2028 and beyond—they are underestimating the people of Georgia and the long history of resistance and organizing in the South. 

“The Georgia Working Families Party is recruiting and electing candidates to the state legislature who will defend and protect the rights of Georgia’s multiracial working class, including the right to fair representation. We are educating Georgians on the stakes of the midterms and reminding them of their power. We are building and expanding and deepening our work across the South to keep power out of the hands of bad actors like Brian Kemp and in the hands of the people. 

“We have been preparing for this moment. We won’t go down without a fight. We will make sure the people’s voices are heard.” 

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