Only four months after winning re-election as a longtime Democrat, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that he was defecting to the Republican party. Before assuming office, Johnson served nearly a decade in the Texas Legislature as a Democrat — making his decision to switch parties all the more shocking.
On Friday, Johnson announced his decision in an 0p-ed in the Wall Street Journal. “Today I am changing my party affiliation,” wrote Johnson. “Next spring, I will be voting in the Republican primary. When my career in elected office ends in 2027 on the inauguration of my successor as mayor, I will leave office as a Republican.”
In his op-ed, Johnson says that he won 98.7% of the vote in his re-election. Although it’s worth noting that was when he was running as a registered Democrat in a county that President Joe Biden overwhelmingly carried. The mayoral position is technically non-partisan, but it’s hard to argue that running as a registered Democrat in a deep-blue county didn’t have some impact on the vote.
Johnson criticized Democratic leadership, arguing that Democratic mayors (of which he was one until a few hours ago) have allowed cities to crumble into “disarray” and lawlessness. Johnson also pats himself on the back for standing up against the defund the police movement.
Johnson paints a picture of Democratic Mayors that is wholly incongruent with the state of play in blue cities. New York City’s Democratic Mayor, Eric Adams, is literally a former cop. And D.C.’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has fought tooth and nail to prevent criminal justice reforms from going into effect.
He isn’t the only southern Democrat to defect to the Republican party in a dramatic fashion. In July, Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor announced that she was switching to the Republican. Mainor, who served in a deep-blue Atlanta district, defended her decision by arguing that she was pushed out of the Democratic party. Mainor was criticized by Georgia Democrats but welcomed with open arms by folks like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who applauded her decision to move parties.
As for Johnson, there will surely be a ton of backlash, but maybe, like Mainor, he’ll make some friends in his new party.
Why? Are people not allowed to change their mind?
He was elected to represent the people that voted for him based on the beliefs he carried. If those beliefs significantly change to the point that he no longer represents the people that elected him, he should resign.
Serious question, what if he didnt change his opinions but only party affiliation. He still acted as he would have as a mayor and he still gave the people what they wanted… just change of title. Like what if he thought his style of politics belongs on the other eisle and people are so partisan that they think he switched everything.
In that case I’d wonder why he ever was a Democrat in the first place. I’m not sure how realistic a scenario that is, especially given the public announcement he felt the need to make.
deleted by creator
The job of an elected representative isn’t to do what they want, it’s to represent the people who elected them. The people elected a Democrat as a mayor, and no they have a republican one.
The two parties operate on fundamentally different platforms, so I don’t see how he can both switch parties and stay true to what he promised voters when he was elected
woosh
Maybe reread the comment lol
Ah shit lol i didnt even notice
Politicians are supposed to follow the will of their constituents.
His responsibility is to the people. Of course he can change his mine, but he should still do his job for the people who elected him and if that is contrary to his own beliefs to the point where he is unable to do so then he should resign.
deleted by creator