Kemp Rules Out Georgia Redistricting Session After Democratic Win

Outgoing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on November 4 that he would not bring lawmakers back for a special session to redraw the state’s political maps or curb executive branch powers. The announcement followed Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’s victory in the governor’s race and Democrat Jon Ossoff’s reelection to the U.S. Senate on November 3.

Kemp said voters’ choices would inform what he did next and congratulated Bottoms and Ossoff. He also thanked Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson and other GOP candidates for their campaigns, and urged Republicans to learn from the results and return to their party’s conservative principles.

The decision ends Kemp’s effort to revisit Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts before the 2028 elections. After a Supreme Court ruling weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections in redistricting, Kemp had argued Georgia needed new maps. He set June 17 for a special legislative meeting to review the proposed changes, but Republican legislative leaders declined to take up the proposal, citing the need to study the ruling, pending litigation and public input.

Bottoms had warned that redrawing districts as Kemp prepared to leave office could make Republicans appear unwilling to accept a possible loss of power. Her election means Republicans will face a Democratic governor once lawmakers resume work in the regular session.

Kemp left open the possibility of calling lawmakers into a special session before the regular session begins in January if budget issues require attention. Bottoms is due to take office that month, succeeding Kemp, who is barred by term limits from seeking another term.

Kemp Ends Redistricting Push After Voters Choose Democratic Governor

Georgia voters chose Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor, and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp says he will not call lawmakers back to redraw the state’s political maps. His November 4 decision also rules out a special session to curb executive branch powers, leaving Republicans to accept the election outcome as Bottoms prepares to take office in January.

The stakes extend beyond the transfer of the governor’s mansion: Kemp had argued that a Supreme Court decision weakening federal Voting Rights Act protections required new congressional and legislative maps before the 2028 elections. But the effort stalled when Republican legislative leaders declined to advance it, citing legal questions, a need for more study and public input.

Bottoms had warned that an outgoing governor’s attempt to change districts could make Republicans look unwilling to accept losing power. The result gives Georgia a Democratic governor when the legislature returns, and Kemp has now closed the door on another redistricting effort before he leaves office.

Kemp congratulated Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff, who kept his seat, and said Republicans should learn from the election. He left open a possible special session on budget matters before the regular session begins in January. The same lawmakers who shelved the map proposal will return to a state government led by the party that won Tuesday’s statewide races.

Kemp Respects Georgia Vote, Shelves Map Changes Until 2028

Georgia’s voters have made their choice, and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp says he will respect it rather than convene a special session on redistricting. His November 4 decision shuts down a push to revise congressional and legislative maps before the 2028 elections, even as the state faces the consequences of a Supreme Court ruling that weakened federal protections in redistricting.

Kemp had argued that Georgia needed new maps after the ruling, with districts reflecting voters’ preferences rather than federal judges’ decisions. Republican leaders in the legislature chose not to proceed, pointing to pending litigation, the need to study the decision and the importance of public input. Kemp’s latest announcement means there will be no renewed effort before his term ends in January.

Bottoms’s win gives Democrats the governor’s office, while Jon Ossoff retained his Senate seat. Kemp congratulated both and called on Republicans to learn from the election and return to conservative principles. His response puts the voters’ decision first, even as the debate over how Georgia draws its maps remains unresolved.

Kemp has not ruled out a special session for budget problems before the legislature’s regular January meeting. Bottoms will then take office, and Republicans will face a governor from the Democratic Party as lawmakers resume their work.