Georgia Republicans have backtracked on redrawing the state's congressional map, an action President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp want them to take. House Speaker Jon Burns told Kemp on Wednesday, the first day of a special session called for that purpose, that redistricting won't be on the agenda. The decision sidesteps a high-stakes fight heading into campaign season, Axios reports. Burns said any map overhaul should come only after lawmakers and voters have time to study proposals and weigh in. "We believe that it is important to do things the Georgia way—responsibly, transparently, and with ample opportunity for public input," Burns said at a press conference with colleagues, per NBC News.
Kemp publicly disagreed but said he'd go along with the House's call; Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who lost a primary runoff for governor on Tuesday, pushed harder. Burns also cited an incomplete understanding of the ramifications of a Supreme Court ruling in April that weakened protections for minority voters under the Voting Rights Act, which prompting several GOP-led Southern legislatures to redraw maps to increase the number of seats held by Republicans, per the Guardian. In Georgia, Democrats and voting-rights advocates had warned new lines could undercut Black representation, potentially even targeting the long-held southwest Georgia seat of Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop. Kemp had called the session to produce a map for the 2028 elections; other states have redrawn for this year's midterms.
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