Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor (R-56th District) was elected in 2020 as a Democrat to represent a deep blue portion of Atlanta in the Georgia House of Representatives. However, in a stunning reversal, Mainor recently announced she has decided to change her political allegiance to the GOP primarily due to her former party’s stubborn resistance to school choice.

“I support school choice, parent rights and opportunities for children to thrive, especially those that are marginalized and tend to fail in school,” Mainor said at the time of her decision to become a member of the GOP. //

According to the American Federation for Children, 72 percent of registered voters support the concept of school choice, including 68 percent of Democrats, 82 percent of Republicans, and 67 percent of Independents. Moreover, school choice is supported by 70 percent of blacks, 77 percent of Hispanics, 66 percent of Asians, and 72 percent of whites.

On top of this, mountains of data demonstrate that school choice legislation has far-reaching benefits throughout the community. For example, in states that have passed robust school choice bills: test scores have improved for both private and public schools, parent satisfaction has soared, civic values have progressed, racial and ethnic integration has been enhanced, school safety has advanced, and education spending has become more efficient. https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/123s-of-School-Choice-WEB-07-10-23.pdf

So, why in the world would anybody, particularly Democrat lawmakers who represent the very people who most desperately want school choice, be opposed to such a popular idea?

As Mainor intimated, the number one reason lies with teacher unions, who remain adamantly opposed to the proliferation of school choice.