A Texas Democrat is done with the left-wing party after they have become consumed by things like defunding the police and wide open borders – switching his political affiliation to Republican.
State Rep. Ryan Guillen announced in press conference on Monday that while he intends to seek reelection to his south Texas seat, he will be doing so as a Republican, admitting that the Democratic Party’s far-left values are no longer in line with his own.
Guillen cited his now-former party’s backing of defunding the police and the compounding crisis at the southern border under President Biden as major reasons for his defecting.
“Friends, something is happening in South Texas, and many of us are waking up to the fact that the values of those in Washington, D.C., are not our values, not the values of most Texans,” Guillen said.
“The ideology of defunding the police, of destroying the oil and gas industry and the chaos at our border is disastrous for those of us who live here in South Texas,” he continued.
The former Democrat had won his seat by nearly 17 points in the 2020 election and has served in the Texas House for almost two decades. Guillen’s switch is yet another big win for Republicans as the GOP looks to pick up more steam in historically blue areas.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan joined Guillen at his announcement in Floresville.
“John Lujan’s upset victory earlier this month in a district with a majority Hispanic population already proved that Texans are fed up with the failures of Democratic leadership and Ryan Guillen’s party switch makes that fact all the more clear,” Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) president Dee Duncan said in a Monday statement.
“Today’s Democrat leaders are so focused on appeasing their fringe-left base by putting teachers’ unions ahead of parents, pushing socialist tax and spending schemes, and fighting for open border policies, that even elected officials in their own party cannot support their radical agenda anymore,” Duncan continued.
Duncan said the Republicans “welcome” Guillen to the party “with open arms and look forward to working with him” as he works with his new GOP colleagues “to deliver solutions for the people of his district.”
The Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa was furious after the announcement was made, and erupted publicly on Guillen over the move, attacking the newly minted Republican for “prioritizing holding onto his job rather than standing up for Texans.”
“We’re disappointed to see him selling his soul and selling out South Texans, but we’re excited to clear the field for a real Democrat to run — one we can count on to show up for our families and put Texans first,” Hinojosa said.
“Texas Democrats will keep standing up for our values and fighting to fix the biggest problems facing Texas families — whether it’s fixing our disaster-prone power grid, getting more people healthcare, or making sure working Texans have a real chance to get ahead.”
“That’s clearly not a priority for Rep. Guillen,” he added. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Author: Erick Doemire
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