Georgia's Only Independent Lawmaker May Switch To Republican Party

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - Georgia's only independent lawmaker may switch to the the republican party, which would give the GOP a super majority in the General Assembly. State Representative Rusty Kidd says he'll make his decision based on what's best for his district.

"The way I look at things, there's a good reason not to be a democrat and an equally good reason not to be republican," Kidd said.

That's why Kidd ran as an independent for District 145 which represents Baldwin and Putnam counties. He says he's received calls and emails asking him if he's thinking about joining the Republican Party.

"I had sent an email to the speaker and majority leader, talking about other types of issues and I'm sure this will probably come up.," he said.

If Kidd makes the switch, that would make him the 120th Republican in the House of Representatives. That means the GOP would have the two-thirds majority needed to overturn a governor's veto or to pass any constitutional amendment without democratic support.

"If I was a republican they might consider my issues before considering someone elses," Kidd said. "They would try to help out a member of their party before they'd help out a member of another party. That's just human nature."

But Kidd says even if he goes red, that doesn't mean Republicans will hold all the power in the house.

"Some people think that automatically means just because you're one of 120, you're going to always vote with the majority. That's not the case."

Red, blue, or in between, it doesn't matter for Kidd. He says his number one priority will always be what is best for the people.

Kidd says he didn't think switching parties would cause such a commotion. He hopes to meet with senior Republicans soon and come to a decision before the legislative session starts back up in January.