Kemp won’t call Georgia lawmakers back to redraw maps or to curb executive powers

Outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday that he would not call a special session to push new political maps and curb the executive powers of future state leaders after the Democratic sweep in the 2026 midterms.

“The voters of our state have spoken. As long as I’m governor, we will always respect the results of secure, accessible, and fair elections, and also abide by the laws and constitution of our state,” Kemp said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I will not be calling a special session of the Georgia General Assembly in order to curtail executive branch powers or debate redistricting changes.”

Kemp had called a special session earlier this year partly to redraw Georgia’s maps for the 2028 election after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened key protections under the Voting Rights Act. Republican leaders ultimately decided against pursuing redistricting during the summer session, but they were widely expected to revisit it after the election. Kemp’s announcement Wednesday puts an end to that speculation. 

But Kemp also didn’t rule out calling a special session before Democrats take charge of most of the state’s government next year. The governor said in a statement that there are “budgetary issues that may need to be addressed before the convening of the regular session in January.”

“My office will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation and keep our partners in the General Assembly apprised of the state’s fiscal outlook in the days to come,” Kemp said.

What that means is unclear.

“Maybe it makes sense for the governor to warn that they did approve legislation that is very costly and that there wasn’t really a plan to pay for, and that is a problem that we need to address but not something that I think we need a special session for,” said Danny Kanso, vice president of public policy at Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

Kanso was referring to an income tax cut package that the Legislature approved earlier this year. The measure cut the state’s income tax rate to 4.99% this year, down from 5.19%, and it continues to trim it over time to 3.99% if certain economic conditions are met, among other changes. Kanso called it “one of the most reckless and fiscally irresponsible pieces of legislation enacted.”

The head of the governor’s Office of Planning and Budget said in May that the bill created a $1.3 billion hole in the state’s budget. Kemp made about $300 million in cuts to help cover part of that gap.

The state currently has a surplus of $8.7 billion in rainy day funds, according to an October annual report from the State Accounting Office, down from $14.6 billion as of January.

Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon in southwest Atlanta that she had a conversation with Kemp earlier, but that the governor didn’t specify what those budget issues were.

“He just mentioned that there were some priorities that he had, which I respect,” Bottoms said. “There’s one governor at a time, so as the person who will be the governor through the first part of January, that’s certainly his prerogative to call a session to try and deal with some of those budgetary issues that he believes need to be dealt with in a special session. And again, whatever that may be, we’ll see it when it happens.”

House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, who could be in line to be Georgia’s next speaker, downplayed any legislative budgetary changes Republicans may do in a special session at a press conference Wednesday. The budget process is underway now, with the governor typically presenting their budget proposal in January and lawmakers leaving their imprint on the spending plan before it goes back to the governor’s desk.

“We look forward to what he is proposing, but I’m sure Gov. Bottoms will look at that and reformat that budget to match her policy objectives, and then the House will do as it always does, go to work on that budget,” Hugley said.

Democrats did take comfort in Kemp saying he won’t pursue redistricting or curbing executive power. Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin, the lieutenant governor-elect, said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that Republicans walked back their efforts to redistrict over the summer after intense backlash and that Tuesday night’s results indicated voters will continue to “resist a similar move to redraw the maps.”

“I would say that the resounding rejection of MAGA politics that you saw last night did not invite much adventurism by the Republican majority to keep drawing those maps,” McLaurin said.

Bottoms said she is “just grateful (Republicans) will not be touching the powers of the governor.”