OAN’s Abril Elfi
9:38 AM – Saturday, September 23, 2023
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has announced that he is switching his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.
On Friday, the mayor announced the switch to the press and said “America’s Cities Need Republicans, and I’m Becoming One.” He also stated that he will be voting in the Republican primary next year and when his career ends he will “leave office as a Republican.”
“Today I am changing my party affiliation. Next spring, I will be voting in the Republican primary,” Johnson wrote. “When my career in elected office ends in 2027 on the inauguration of my successor as mayor, I will leave office as a Republican.”
The mayor was reelected in May where he ran as a Democrat.
The Texas Democratic Party leaders released a statement where they said the Mayor was “dishonest,” for switching once he was reelected.
The party also said the decision was not a surprise as even though he presented himself as a Democrat, he had Republican ideologies..
“Given his long-standing affinity with Republican leaders and ideology … this announcement is neither surprising nor unwelcome,” the party wrote in the statement. “This feeble excuse for democratic representation will fit right in with Republicans — and we are grateful that he can no longer tarnish the brand and values of the Texas Democratic Party.”
Many Democrat leaders slammed Johnson on X, the social media formerly known as Twitter.
Representative John Bryant (D-Texas) responded to the decision agreeing with the party leader’s statement about Johnson’s Republican ideologies and said “Switching parties? I didn’t know he was a democrat.”
Johnson stated how Democrats “view cities as laboratories for liberalism.”
“Unfortunately, many of our cities are in disarray. Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,” he said. “Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.”
Johnson said in his op-ed that his vision for Dallas coincides with the Republican Party, citing his support for police enforcement, cheap property taxes, and promoting a business-friendly atmosphere.
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