State GOP granted an extension in bias lawsuit The Georgia Republican Party and its chairman were given an extra two weeks to respond to a Gainesville woman’s claim of racial discrimination during her employment. Chairman John Padgett of the Georgia Republican Party sought an extension to respond to Qiana Keith’s suit in U.S. District Court. Keith, an African-American, claims in the suit that she endured racial slurs and discrimination when employed as the executive assistant to Padgett.