As Republican Leader in the Georgia House, he led the fight against intense partisan gerrymandering during the redistricting process controlled by the Democratic majority in 2001.

He abandoned his opposition and was instrumental in the mid-decade redistricting that took place in 2005, after Republicans won control of the Georgia legislature in the 2004 elections.

Westmoreland led a group of congressmen who opposed the 2006 renewal of certain provisions in the Voting Rights Act that require nine Southern states and a number of counties (mostly in the South) to obtain Federal permission for certain changes to election law or changes in venue.

[9] In 2008, Westmoreland ran unopposed in the Republican primary and was re-elected after defeating his Democratic opponent Stephen Camp.

[12] In 2010 Westmoreland signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.

"[17][18] The ensuing media attention compelled Westmoreland to issue the following statement: "I've never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense.

It's more of a memorial ... You can't make an excuse for things that happened, but the majority of people that actually died in the Civil War on the Confederate side did not own slaves.

I don't think they had even any thoughts about slavery.When Westmoreland was asked if he understood Representative John Lewis' perspective, he responded, "I guess the question is, 'Does he understand where I'm coming from?

[citation needed] His daughter, Marcy Sakrison, ran unsuccessfully in the 2019 special election for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives.