Georgia House Democratic leader James Beverly won’t seek reelection in 2024

ATLANTA (AP) — The Democratic leader in Georgia’s state House won’t seek reelection this year.

House Minority Leader James Beverly of Macon told The Associated Press in a Thursday interview that he’s stepping down to seek other ways to serve the public. Beverly said the decision was driven in part by a redrawn district that introduced new territory and the recognition that Democrats are unlikely to win a majority in the 180-member House in this year’s legislative election.

Beverly is the second top legislative Democrat to announce he’s stepping down. Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain announced her retirement last month.

But unlike the 82-year-old Butler, Beverly is 55. He said there’s a chance he’ll run for office again in the future, although probably not as a House member.

“I think just a pause, see what I can do, and see if there’s a reason to jump back in this,” he said.

Beverly is an optometrist who also holds business and public affairs graduate degrees. He said he wants to focus more on his business, anti-poverty and affordable housing efforts in Macon, to “get back to what you came up here for — and that is really trying to do what’s right by the community.”

One motivation for his decision is that Democrats, who now hold 78 seats House, did not benefit strongly enough from recent court-ordered redistricting to give them a realistic chance to win a majority in this year’s legislative elections.

“I don’t know that we flip the House, so being speaker or something like that, probably not in the stars at this point,” he said.

First elected to the House in a 2011 special election, Beverly took over his caucus in November 2020 after former House Minority Leader Bob Trammell lost his reelection bid. With the departure of Beverly and Butler, it means Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate will get new leaders in a span barely longer than two years.

Republicans got new leadership after Burt Jones was elected to the lieutenant governorship in 2022, and Republican senators chose John F. Kennedy of Macon as Senate President Pro Tem. Republican Jon Burns became speaker of the House last year after David Ralston’s death.

Beverly said he’ll back a candidate to succeed him in House District 143, which now covers parts of Macon-Bibb and Houston counties. However, Beverly said he won’t try to influence who succeeds him as Democratic leader.

He said he doesn’t have enough time to be minority leader, introduce himself to new constituents in Houston County and pursue his business and community interests. Instead, he said he will do more to help other Democrats.

“I may not reap the rewards of doing whatever I do in that space of picking up more seats, but I certainly will be actively engaged,” Beverly said.

Beverly said he thought he had been an effective leader, with Democrats gaining seats since he became leader. He also said it was a tribute to the appeal of Democratic policy positions that Republicans are now discussing expanding Medicaid health coverage, incentivizing safe gun storage and combatting maternal mortality.

He said it’s going to take hard work for Democrats to attain a majority, though.

“I don’t think it’s inevitable,” Beverly said. “I think it’s probable.”