Warnock Speaks Out Against Racial Gerrymandering at Georgia State Capitol

Following the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision, Governor Brian Kemp called a special session of the state legislature and called on lawmakers to redraw political maps ahead of the 2028 election

The new maps were potentially expected to eliminate two Democratically-held seats in Congress

Senator Reverend Warnock stopped by the Georgia State Capitol, rallied a coalition of voting rights groups, and spoke with Georgia House and Senate elected officials

Atlanta, GA - On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined a coalition of voting rights groups inside the Georgia State Capitol for a press conference to denounce Georgia Republicans' plans to redraw Congressional and state legislative maps. Senator Warnock encouraged Georgians to continue to have their voices heard in the ballot box.

"We've come with a clear message to Georgia Republicans. You stood silent as the president's foreign policies have robbed Georgians of affordable healthcare, food, housing, and gas, and now you're trying to rob Georgians of their voice and of their vote," said Senator Reverend Warnock. "Come November, we intend to hold you accountable."

In his remarks, Senator Warnock urged Georgia legislators to expand Medicaid, given that hundreds of thousands of Georgians are in a health care coverage gap, rather than spend time redrawing political maps during the special session.

On Wednesday, Senator Warnock briefly spoke to local reporters in the Georgia State Capitol hallways about the dangers of the redistricting plans and encouraged legislators to instead focus on more pressing issues facing Georgians, like affordability. Senator Warnock also met with Democratic caucus members on Wednesday.

Hours after the Senator's visit, Georgia Republican legislators announced they did not plan to redraw the maps during the special session.

Read the partial transcript of Senator Warnock's remarks below (lightly edited for clarity):

Let me say that it's great to see all of you. I promised the people of Georgia that I would walk with you, even as I work for you.

We are in session in Washington, D.C., but I thought that, given this moment that we are in, it was important for me to be here with you

I want to thank all of our voting rights advocacy leaders for organizing this press conference. I want to thank the folks at Fair Fight.

Today is a dark day in Georgia's history.

Make no mistake about it, the Georgia state legislature is coming for the power of ordinary, everyday voters.

They don't want to be held accountable. They don't want to be held accountable for doubling your health insurance premiums. They don't want to be held accountable for the spiking cost of groceries, gasoline, and utilities

They had a whole session, and they didn't do a single thing to make housing more affordable.

So what are they doing here? The Governor has called a special session to redraw the lines. This is a state where we have yet to expand Medicaid. We have 500,000 people in the health care coverage gap, and you are going to call a special session for this.[…] It seems to me that if you're going to call a special session, it should be to fight for the people you're supposed to represent.

All of this was made possible by a Supreme Court ruling that said states all across the South, like Georgia, could redraw their congressional lines. They could dilute the power of brown and Black voters, as long as they call it something else.

The Supreme Court has taken a side in a partisan fight. They say that you cannot have a majority minority district, and at the same time saying, you can't have partisan gerrymandering. It ignores why we have a voting rights law in the first place.

The Roberts court is fooling nobody. John Roberts has been gunning for the voting rights law since his days as a young lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department.

He was saying back then that you should have to prove intent, that the impact doesn't matter. He's a very patient man.

And so here we are. We've come today with a very clear message. This is Georgia, we know our history. You all are barking at the wrong tree.

This is the state of John Lewis, this is the state of Andrew Young, this is the state of C.T. Vivian.

We know that there are those who claim to be doing something that's race-neutral; we've seen this game before. Just think about it. Black people had a right to vote on paper since we passed the 15^th Amendment.

There are those who are saying, "How are your voices being diminished?" You're ignoring our history, the country's history. They always claim to be race-neutral, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests. They always claim to be race-neutral.

Here we are, in this moment, and the thing that upsets me, obviously, as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King served, is that these same Georgia state legislators who are thinking about redrawing the lines, come January, they'll all be lining up trying to come to my church and quote Dr. King. They all want to stand up and quote Dr. King.

I have a clear message to Georgia legislators who support this effort. You want to redraw the maps; you have the power to do it. I guess you can do it if that's what you're determined to do, but keep Dr. King's name out of your mouth.

You cannot remember Dr. King and dismember his legacy at the same time.

In closing, we've come with a clear message to Georgia Republicans. You stood silent as the president's foreign policies have robbed Georgians of affordable healthcare, food, housing, and gas, and now you're trying to rob Georgians of their voice and of their vote.

Come November, we intend to hold you accountable.

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