McBath to run in neighboring district after GOP redrew lines

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) is set to run in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District after her own district was redrawn, setting up a potential Democratic primary matchup between her and fellow Democratic incumbent Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux. 

The change in districts for McBath comes after Georgia Republicans redrew her seat in the 6th Congressional District to lean heavily Republican. The Georgia state legislature approved the new congressional map on Monday. 

The 6th District originally included parts of Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and Forsyth counties in Atlanta’s suburbs. However, the new map moves the seat north to more rural Cherokee and Dawson counties.

“I refuse to let (Gov.) Brian Kemp, the (National Rifle Association) and the Republican Party keep me from fighting,” McBath said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They are not going to have the last word.”

McBath was first elected in 2018 and has been targeted by Republicans looking to unseat her. Bourdeaux, who was elected in 2020, has also been a target of the GOP. The matchup could be one of the most closely watched primaries in 2022, but it will not be the only one. 

In Illinois, Democratic Reps. Marie Newman and Sean Casten are expected to face off after Chicago’s suburban districts were redrawn, while in West Virginia, Republican Reps. Alex Mooney and David McKinley will compete to represent the northern portion of the state. 

Redistricting also appears to have influenced retirements. In North Carolina, GOP maps axed a district once held by Rep. Kathy Manning (D), and substantially redrew a seat held by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D), who announced last week he was retiring. 

In Illinois, Democrats drew Reps. Adam Kinzinger, one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, and Darin LaHood (R) into the same district. Kinzinger has since announced he will not run for another term.