Why the Athens mayor was exiled from the local Democratic party

Athens – Athens Mayor Nancy Denson has been a member of the local Democratic party for more than three decades. She identifies as a Democrat, and she's held a string of fundraisers for prominent party figures at her Athens home over the years.

And at a testy meeting on Thursday at an Athens library, Denson was ousted from the local party's committee for an affront many fellow Democrats considered unforgivable: She openly supports Republican Houston Gaines, a candidate for an open House seat up for grabs on Nov. 7 who was her campaign manager.

Keep reading: In Athens, a strained test of bipartisanship in a deep-blue stronghold