State Democrat Legislator Switches To Republican Party

A state lawmaker announced Friday she’s switching from the Democrat to Republican Party, saying the Democrat Party has “lost its way.”

Texas Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who lost in her primary, said she’s officially becoming a Republican.

“I am leaving the left because the left has abandoned Democrats who feel betrayed by a party that has lost its way, lost its commitment to hard working families,” Thierry said, according to The Texas Tribune.

BREAKING: Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry announces that she is leaving the Democrat Party and switching to the Republican Party.

“This is not the party I grew up with.”

“I cannot, in good conscience, support policies like promoting s*x changes for children”

“I now stand with… pic.twitter.com/Ur4rwBTYXl

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 30, 2024

“The Democratic Party has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now
champions policies I cannot, in good conscience, support—policies like promoting sex changes
for vulnerable children and dismantling Title IX protections for women in sports,” Thierry wrote in her statement, KXAN reports.

“That’s why I am leaving the left and joining the party of family, faith, and freedom. I now stand with colleagues, friends, neighbors, women, and mothers in the Republican Party,” she added.

From The Texas Tribune:

The partisan balance in the lower chamber now stands at 87 Republicans and 63 Democrats. Thierry’s term will expire before the Legislature reconvenes in Austin for its next regular session in January, however, and Simmons is heavily favored to win the solidly Democratic seat in November.

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A number of prominent Houston Democrats lined up behind Simmons for her primary challenge, including some of Thierry’s current and former colleagues in the Texas House — an unusually public show of repudiation from an incumbent’s own party. Thierry countered with her own slate of endorsements from Black church leaders and a handful of Democratic lawmakers.

Thierry also broke ranks from her party to support a GOP bill aimed at removing sexually explicit books from school libraries, a designation critics feared would be used to target LGBTQ+ literature. She also voted for a bill requiring transgender college athletes to play on teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.

Just in: Texas State Democrat Representative Shawn Thierry has joined the Republican Party.

She said, “The Democrat Party has lost its way.”

She voted to Ban Gender-Affirming Care. As a result, she lost her primary to a more progressive primary challenger in March. pic.twitter.com/ew0bHWEbKM

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 30, 2024

“As a woman, a mother, and a lawmaker, I have dedicated my life to championing the values that fortify our families and uplift our communities. After much reflection, prayer, and soul-searching, I have come to a decision that aligns with my core values and the best interests of our beloved country,” Thierry said.

“For my entire adult life, I have voted as a Democrat. I was raised in a household with my amazing parents who believed the Democratic Party was the party of the people—a beacon of justice and opportunity for all. But as the years have passed, I have watched with dismay as the party I once knew has drifted far from its roots. It has become almost unrecognizable—radicalized and increasingly out of touch with the values that millions of everyday Americans hold dear,” she added.

A thread 1/ of x

As a woman, a mother, and a lawmaker, I have dedicated my life to championing the values that fortify our families and uplift our communities. After much reflection, prayer, and soul-searching, I have come to a decision that aligns with my core values and the… pic.twitter.com/jyBC82lLfn

— Shawn Thierry (@ShawnieT146) August 30, 2024

* Image from Shawn Thierry X Post *

WATCH:

TX State Rep. Shawn Thierry announces she is leaving the Democratic party. She was viciously primaried and targeted with death threats after voting to protect children from sterilization and castration. Tremendous courage in standing alone. Alone no longer!!! pic.twitter.com/7dSDNuXN5q

— Laura Hanford (@Laura_ltdn18) August 30, 2024

Per KXAN:

Thierry received blowback from some Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates during last year’s regular legislative session due to her votes in favor of a number of Republican-led priorities, like banning health care options for transgender minors and blocking transgender women from competing in female sports at the collegiate level. In her statement Friday, she cited these examples as drawing “the ire of the Democrat machine” despite pushing for other policies that aimed to address issues like maternal mortality.

“I have witnessed firsthand how the left stifles thoughtful debate, silences dissent, and demands blind allegiance to an ideology that is anti-family and anti-children,” Thierry said. “If you question, or disagree, they will cancel you. This is why so many former Democrats plan to vote Republican in November.”

Lauren Ashley Simmons, a union organizer and first-time candidate, unseated Thierry in the Democratic primary. She won the May runoff by almost 30 percentage points, which was a stunning rebuke of an incumbent who never previously faced a serious primary challenger since she first took the seat in 2017. Grant Martin, a spokesperson for the Simmons campaign, said in a statement Friday, “I’m glad she (Thierry) can finally live openly as her authentic self.”

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.