Georgia GOP lawmaker: Anti-gay policies driving party ‘toward extinction’

State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) says the prospect of Donald Trump in the White House “scares the bejeebies out of me” and laments that the party’s treatment of the LGBT community, Hispanics and African-Americans is driving the party “toward extinction.”

Peake made the comments about Trump in an interview with the AJC, then followed up with reporter Greg Bluestein a few hours later via email with what he calls his “Republican manifesto,” where he talked about the party’s treatment of minority communities.

After acknowledging that his assessment of Trump and the future of the GOP might be the “death blow” to his political future, Peake writes, “The reality is that Donald Trump as our nominee makes me incredibly fearful for the future of our party. We have alienated Hispanics and African-Americans, both groups who would support us if we stuck to an agenda focused on jobs and the economy. We have made ourselves enemies of the gay community. And from discussions with my gay brother, many would support us, because many are moderate on social issues but fiscally conservative.”

Peake also writes that millennials have written off the GOP because of the party’s stances on medical marijuana and marriage equality.

“So, as a party, we are basically working ourselves toward extinction,” he writes. “And if we don’t do some soul searching and make efforts to reach out to these groups, that’s where we end up.”

Peake, the champion of medical marijuana legislation, was a co-sponsor of state Rep. Sam Teasley’s (R-Marietta) so-called “religious freedom” bill in 2015. He later opened up about the difficulties of supporting such bills due to them exposing his brother Merwin Peake to more anti-LGBT discrimination, and cited his brother again earlier this year while trying to work with Gov. Deal and House Speaker David Ralston on the controversial HB757, which passed both chambers of the legislature before being vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal. Merwin Peake appeared before a House subcommittee in March 2015 to speak out against state Sen. Josh McKoon’s (R-Columbus) controversial “religious freedom” bill SB129, which later stalled in committee and failed to pass the following year.

Here’s the entirety of what Rep. Peake calls his “Republican manifesto”:

While the medical marijuana issue or my own self-inflicted mistakes may have cost me any potential run for a future statewide office, my honest assessment of Donald Trump and the future of our party may be the death blow to my political future. But I’ve come to grips with that and I’m good with it.

The reality is that Donald Trump as our nominee makes me incredibly fearful for the future of our party. We have alienated Hispanics and African-Americans, both groups who would support us if we stuck to an agenda focused on jobs and the economy. We have made ourselves enemies of the gay community. And from discussions with my gay brother, many would support us, because many are moderate on social issues but fiscally conservative.

And millennials have written us off because of our stances on issues like medical marijuana and gay marriage. So, as a party, we are basically working ourselves toward extinction. And if we don’t do some soul searching and make efforts to reach out to these groups, that’s where we end up.

To remain a vibrant party, we have to stay focused on the core Republican principles – smaller government, less government intrusion on our lives, and more personal responsibility for individuals. If we remain true to those principles, we can, and will, remain a positive influence on our country for generations to come. That’s my hope and my prayer for my party.