Georgia Democrat Calls Out Party's Dirty Secret: This Demographic At The Bottom Of Their Priorities

Mainor's remarks came after she helped a school choice bill, which faced strong opposition from her party, according to an exclusive report by Fox News.

"Why is no one fighting for young Black minds? Why isn't that one of the things that we're fighting for?" questioned Mainor, adding, "I say you're a hypocrite. That's what I tell them directly. You are being a hypocrite. There are state lawmakers where their children are in schools that they're not even zoned for… They're lying about their address, state lawmakers, but they won't vote for this bill."

Representing the deep-blue 56th House District, which covers southwest Atlanta up to the Midtown area, Mainor's District includes schools urgently needing improvement. When asked about her support for the school choice bill, which eventually failed to pass, she stated her preference for the term "parent choice."

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"I support parent choice because some parents have children in schools where their needs are not being met," Mainor told Fox News Digital. She further explained, "In my district in particular, we have schools with 3% reading proficiency, 3% have obtained math proficiency by the eighth grade. And so to say that this is just how it is and that the kid needs to just suffer these consequences, I don't agree with that. And I don't think that all parents agree with that either."

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The debate over school choice has been contentious for years. Teachers union-backed Democrats often vehemently oppose such measures, arguing that they drain funding from public schools. School choice advocates maintain that parents and children deserve the best educational opportunities and should not be penalized for residing in poorly performing districts.

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Supporters of school choice also endorse the expansion of charter schools, which have seen significant growth in Georgia in recent years, with many having majority-minority student enrollments. Charter schools are publicly funded but independently run institutions that accept students outside their immediate area. Teachers' unions oppose charter schools, as their teachers are usually not unionized.

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"We should be voting at times just for our district and at times for the entire state of Georgia," Mainor commented.

Last month, Georgia Senate Bill 233, which aimed to expand opportunities for students attending the state's lowest-rated schools, was unexpectedly defeated due to opposition from some rural Republicans.

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The bill proposed the creation of $6,500 vouchers for students at schools performing in the bottom 25% of the state to help cover private school tuition and homeschooling expenses if desired. Despite support from Republican Governor Brian Kemp and an initial appearance of having enough votes to pass under the Republican-controlled Golden Dome, 16 House Republicans voted against it.

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The bill is not yet dead and could be brought up for a vote later. Given Georgia's battleground status in presidential elections, any political disputes in the state garner considerable attention.

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Critics of the bill argue that the vouchers would harm local public school systems, particularly those in poorer communities requiring additional funding. The state planned to deduct public schools' budget for each student who took their education dollars elsewhere.

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The bill's defeat was so unexpected that, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Democrats broke decorum and cheered its failure from the chamber's floor."

Mainor was the only Democrat to vote for the bill and faced backlash from her party members. State Senator Josh McLaurin, a Democrat, offered $1,000 to anyone willing to challenge her in a primary election. State Representative Michelle Au, also a Democrat, linked to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about Mainor facing a primary challenge and wrote, "This is about floridly whipping votes in favor of a harmful bill we took a CAUCUS POSITION AGAINST."

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McLaurin, who represents Sandy Springs, a city known for its affluent status and corporate headquarters in north Fulton County, faced a strong retort from Mainor. She pointed out that he doesn't have children, represents a District with flourishing schools, and has "no idea of what it means to live in a poverty-stricken community with no resources, with no hope."

In her words, "I think my fellow Democrats – and not all of them, I hate to say that because it's not all of them – some of my colleagues will march in the streets for abortion rights. I'm pro-choice. They were crying on the floor for transgender rights. They were very outspoken about antisemitism. My problem is, why is no one fighting for young Black minds?… And so to say that all these other issues are important, but a child living in poverty that's of color is at the bottom of your totem pole of priorities, that's a problem with the value system if you ask me."

Mainor added, "I can only assume it's because poor Black children are not their priority. Let's put it like that. Until the Democratic Party wants to put poor Black children as a priority, then state Rep. Mesha Mainor will continue to vote against them when it comes to these educational needs."

Mainor also hinted at the influence of teachers' unions on the Democratic Party, pointing out that "Teachers don't necessarily agree with what the teachers union supports, because guess what? Teachers have children in failing schools. Teachers have children that have special needs that benefit from these services. So I think the teachers union is out of touch with their constituency."

In her perspective, her constituents aren't concerned about her party-line votes but rather appreciate her focus on their needs. Mainor, born and raised in Atlanta, revealed that her mother used someone else's address to enable her to attend one of the better public high schools in the city.

Moreover, Mainor disputed the argument for pouring more money into public schools, advocating for responsible fiscal governance from local boards. She noted, "I don't think throwing money at a system that's not working is the answer. I think going in and looking at how the money is spent needs to be done first."

Notably, Mainor has crossed party lines on other significant issues since her 2021 tenure, including a ban on localities reducing police budgets and the controversial oversight board for prosecutors.

A physical therapist pursuing a doctorate in business administration, Mainor attributed her decision to run for office to her Christian faith, citing Priscilla Shirer's book, "Discerning the Voice of God." As a single mother with two children, one about to attend college, she emphasized, "I'm not a part of anybody's system. I'm not part of anybody's 'in' crowd. God said to run, and so we're going to run. And I won… The moment I hear I need to get out, I will get out."

Against the backdrop of this debate, the Georgia State Department of Education recently identified 175 low-performing schools requiring additional support, grappling with issues like poor graduation rates and lagging on critical skills. These are Title 1 schools, with at least 40% of the student body hailing from low-income families, as reported by GPB.