Ga. House Democrats shift toward new leaders in wake of election
ATLANTA - Democrats in Georgia’s state House chose new faces for leadership positions Thursday after the minority party made only limited gains in the Nov. 5 election.
Carolyn Hugley of Columbus was elected minority leader for the next two years, with the party’s representatives choosing others for top positions that represented a break from their outgoing Minority Leader James Beverly of Macon.
“We’re going to be majority minded, we’re going to be member-focused, and we’re going to continue to work,” Hugley told reporters Thursday after she was elected in a closed-door session.
Democrats won 80 of the 180 seats in the lower chamber of the General Assembly. That’s up from the 78 they held before, but Democrats had hoped to make larger gains. One Democratic incumbent, Farooq Mughal of Dacula, lost, while several other Democratic candidates outside of metro Atlanta won their races narrowly.
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Hugley defeated Rep. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone for minority leader. Democrats turned out previous caucus chair Billy Mitchell of Stone Mountain in favor of second-term Rep. Tanya Miller of Atlanta. They retained Whip Sam Park of Lawrenceville, rejecting a challenge from Rep. Jasmine Clark of Lilburn. Democrats elevated Spencer Frye of Athens to vice chair and chose Saira Draper of Atlanta as Deputy whip. Park Cannon of Atlanta remained caucus secretary and Solomon Adesanya of Marietta remained treasurer.
“We are taking stock of what happened this last election,” Miller said. “I think what you see reflected in this leadership is a desire for change and a desire to look at our electorate, our strategy, and how we reach the majority through a fresh set of eyes.”
Hugley had sought the top Democratic post three times previously.
“My parents would say a no is not necessarily no. It might just mean not yet,” Hugley said. “So today was the day for my yes.”
On the Republican side
Georgia House Republicans decided Tuesday to keep their leadership team for the next two years.
At the gathering inside the state Capitol, Republicans renominated Jon Burns of Newington Tuesday as speaker, a position that is traditionally the second-most influential post in state government behind the governor.
The full House will vote on the position when it reconvenes in January. Republicans lost two seats after the election, but they still hold a majority so Burns will likely win. Republicans are on track to hold 100 seats, vs 80 seats for the Democrats.
“It has been an immense honor and privilege to serve as Georgia’s 75th speaker of the House, and I am deeply grateful for the unwavering trust and of my colleagues and friends,” Burns said. “As we reflect on all that we’ve achieved together, I’m more confident than ever that our caucus will continue to deliver meaningful results.”
Burns has worked in the farm supply business. He was selected as speaker in November 2022, succeeding the late former speaker David Ralston.
Inside the House chamber, Burns touted successful Republican efforts from last session including tax reductions, infrastructure investment, funding for pre-k programs, literacy initiatives, “cracking down on illegal immigration” and increasing penalties for certain crimes.
Next year, Burns said the chamber will work to invest in education and increase access to healthcare. Burns recently signaled he was open to Medicaid expansion.
“We will continue championing taxpayers and businesses of every size across the state,” Burns added. “We will continue ing Georgia’s growing families and providing opportunities for economic security and mobility for every citizen in our state.”
After a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School north of Atlanta, Burns said in September lawmakers would consider policies to mental health in schools, detect guns and encourage people to safely store guns in 2025. Georgia’s Senate is considering similar policies.
“We will address school safety and ensure that we take every reasonable measure to ensure that a tragedy like what happened at Apalachee High School never happens in our state again, while upholding the rights and privileges of our law-abiding citizens,” Burns said after he was nominated.
Republicans kept Rep. Jan Jones of Milton as House Speaker Pro Tem and Rep. Chuck Efstration of Dacula as majority leader. Rep. James Burchett of Waycross will remain whip, while Rep. Houston Gaines of Athens will remain vice chair and Rep. Bruce Williamson III of Monroe will remain caucus chair.
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