Denouncing the Democratic Party for having lost its way, a California state senator is changing her party enrollment to Republican.
State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil announced her plans on Thursday, according to KCRA-TV.
The leap is the first time in 80 years that a Democratic lawmaker became a member of the GOP during a term, according to the California State Library.
“Since my first day in office, I have put the interests of my constituents first. I was elected to serve the public, not a political ideology,” Alvarado-Gil said in a statement, according to CBS.
“The status quo under a supermajority Democratic rule in the legislature is simply not working for this state. It is after deep reflection I announce that I will be joining the Senate Republican Caucus and the California Republican Party in their fight to fix California,” she said.
Alvarado-Gil represents a rural district, according to KCRA.
The change does little to alter the balance of power in the state Senate, where Democrats hold 31 out of 40 seats.
Alvarado-Gil said she has watched “the supermajority push California in the wrong direction.”
Will more Democratic lawmakers follow Marie Alvarado-Gil’s lead?
The Democratic Party has become “unrecognizable,” she said, adding that it “lacks the will to fix the problems plaguing this state.”
“I cannot stand by a party that ignores the will of the people and disregards the core American values that my very community supports and believes in,” she said.
“It’s no secret that California’s political landscape is heavily weighted to the left, but with increasing attention on issues worsened by Democrat policies, we can continue making strides in our fight,” said State Senate Republican Minority Leader, Brian Jones. “The pendulum is swinging in this great state.”
Alvarado-Gil said that even during her two years in the Senate, the party has changed for the worse.
BREAKING: California Democrat State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil has SWITCHED to the Republican Party!
“It is time for me to give up that D and to cross over to join my colleagues in Republican caucus.” pic.twitter.com/MraaSFZmU7
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) August 9, 2024
“In the past two years that I’ve been working in the Senate, I have not recognized the party that I belong to,” Alvarado-Gil said in a video clip from “The Steve Hilton Show” posted to X.
“The Democratic Party is not the party that I signed up for decades ago. This is not the arty that I believed would take us in the direction of … making sure we lift up the middle class and we move in the direction that our kids can have that California Dream that we as parents have sacrificed so much.”
She said her decision came after “much reflection and prayer.”
“As you can imagine, It’s not a very popular decision to leave a supermajority party where perhaps, you know, you have a lot more power and ability to engage in things,” she said.
She said her move is not only a personal decision “but this is a decision that is right for the constituents that voted me into office.”
