The head of the Democratic faction, James Beverly, will not participate in the 2024 elections.

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ATLANTA (AP) - The leader of the Democrats in the Georgia state legislature will not seek re-election this year. Minority Leader in the House James Beverly from Macon told the Associated Press in an interview on Thursday that he is stepping down to find other ways to serve the community.

Beverly's decision is partly due to the change in the electoral district, which has gained new territory, as well as the recognition that Democrats are unlikely to win the majority of the 180 seats in the House during this year's legislative elections.

Beverly became the second high-ranking official to announce his departure. Gloria Butler, the minority leader in the Senate from Stone Mountain, announced her resignation last month. But unlike the 82-year-old Butler, Beverly is 55. He stated that there is a chance he might run for office again in the future, but most likely not as a member of the House of Representatives.

“I think it’s just a pause, I’ll see what I can do, and I’ll see if there’s a reason to come back,” he said.

Beverly is an optometrist who also holds degrees in business and public affairs. He said he wants to focus more on his business, efforts to combat poverty, and affordable housing in Macon, to "get back to what I came here for - to truly try to do what is right for the community."

One of the incentives for his decision is that the Democrats, who now hold 78 seats in the House of Representatives, did not receive enough of a boost from the recent redistricting to give them a real chance of winning a majority in this year's legislative elections.

"I don't think we can flip the chamber, so being the speaker or something like that is probably beyond our reach at the moment," he said.

Beverly was initially elected to the House of Representatives in a special election in 2011, and in November 2020, he became the head of his faction after former minority leader Bob Trammell lost the election.

With the departure of Beverly and Butler, both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate will have new leaders in just over two years. Republicans received new leadership after Burt Jones was elected as lieutenant governor in 2022, and Republican senators chose John F.

Kennedy from Macon as the temporary president of the Senate. Republican John Burns became the Speaker of the House last year following the death of David Ralston.

Beverly said he would support a candidate to replace him in the 143rd district, which now covers parts of the Macon-Bibb and Houston counties. However, Beverly stated that he would not try to influence who becomes his successor as the leader of the Democrats. He mentioned that he does not have enough time to be the minority leader, get to know the new voters in Houston County, and manage his business and community interests. Instead, he said he would do more to help other Democrats.

“I may not receive awards for what I do in this field, but I will definitely be actively involved,” said Beverly.

Beverly said that he considers himself an effective leader, citing the increase in the number of Democratic seats since he became leader. He also mentioned that this is evidence of the appeal of Democratic political positions, as Republicans are now discussing expanding healthcare under the Medicaid program, promoting safe gun storage, and addressing maternal mortality.

He said that the Democrats will need a lot of work to achieve a majority, but "I don't think it's inevitable," Beverly said.