Politics
McLaurin pitches power-sharing, Medicaid expansion as Georgia Senate split narrows
Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin is urging Senate Republicans to accept a power-sharing rules package and join Democrats on Medicaid expansion, housing and child care, arguing that a 29-27 GOP majority is too thin to govern alone.
Georgia Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin is calling on Senate Republicans to negotiate a power-sharing agreement and work with Democrats on health care and cost-of-living issues, arguing that their narrow majority leaves them little choice but to cooperate.
In a post-election interview, McLaurin said Republicans hold a 29-27 edge in the 56-member Senate, a margin that gives them control of the chamber but leaves them at the exact threshold needed to pass legislation. That arithmetic, he argued, means the GOP cannot advance its agenda without at least some Democratic support.
"What we're going to ask the Republicans to do is to work with us and to try to find bipartisan common ground to move Georgia forward on these cost-of-living issues," McLaurin said.
The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, and the chamber's rules package will determine how much influence the incoming Democrat has over the flow of legislation. McLaurin said he hopes to negotiate a rules agreement that shares some power with the Democratic minority and creates a workable environment for both parties.
"Wouldn't it be great if we really could work together on bipartisan solutions?" he said.
McLaurin said he and Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms have not yet held a full policy discussion since the election, but that they campaigned on shared priorities: expanding Medicaid, making housing more affordable and investing in child care. He framed those as the issues where bipartisan agreement is most plausible.
He also criticized Georgia's six-week abortion ban, saying doctors are reluctant to treat women for fear of prosecution under the law. McLaurin described abortion access as a matter of health care rather than a purely partisan question.
McLaurin said his campaign deliberately reached beyond Democratic voters, including conversations with rural residents and farmers about their concerns. He said Democrats must remain open to voters across party lines.
Asked whether he had approached Republican senators about switching parties to hand Democrats a majority, McLaurin said he had not. "I am not a huge fan of going to Republicans and saying, 'Hey, I want you to switch parties,'" he said.
McLaurin attributed the election results in part to backlash against President Donald Trump's policies, citing tariffs, immigration enforcement and the war with Iran. He characterized the outcome as a collapse of Trump's political coalition and said independent voters and some Republicans backed Democrats.
"I have tried to run myself the most open-armed campaign possible to bring in the largest coalition possible," he said.
The incoming lieutenant governor said voters should be able to trust that elected officials will follow through on their promises, even when that requires working with lawmakers who disagree with them. With the Senate set to organize ahead of the January inauguration, the rules fight will be the first test of whether that cooperation materializes.