A longtime, 10-term Democratic lawmaker in Texas just quit his party — and joined the Republican Party.
Texas state Rep. Ryan Guillen announced on social media on Monday that the Democratic Party had gone too far to the left and no longer matched his values.
“After much consideration and prayer with my family, I feel that my fiscally conservative, pro-business, and pro-life values are no longer in-step with the Democrat Party of today, and I am proudly running as a Republican to represent House District 31,” Guillen announced on Twitter.
Guillen’s announcement was welcomed by Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dave Phelan, both Republicans, at a news conference.
“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.”
“As the Democrat Party moves further to the left, they are abandoning the people of South Texas and their values,” Abbott said at the news conference announcing the switch.
“Everybody has known that Ryan Guillen is really a Republican who is attached to the wrong label,” Abbott said. “Ryan, we’re glad you finally came out of the closet.”
Guillen is the latest victory for Republicans in Texas and was another boost in their aggressive attempts to make inroads with voters along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Guillen has been one of the most conservative Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives since 2002. His switch to the GOP comes after his rural border district was redrawn to heavily favor Republicans under new maps signed in October by Abbott.
Guillen said his values no longer aligned with Democrats, who criticized him for switching. Democratic leaders said Guillen only changed his party affiliation to help his reelection chances.
“Republicans cynically gutted Rep. Guillen’s district in the redistricting process, showing complete disrespect for both him and his constituents,” State Rep. Chris Turner, the head of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement. “Usually, people in Ryan’s position would choose to fight. Instead, he has chosen to join them.”
The Texas border has long been a stronghold for Democrats. But the GOP is now looking to expand their reach along the border after former President Donald Trump made unexpected gains there in 2020.
“After years of voting to protect the Second Amendment, after years of voting to protect the unborn and against tax increases and to secure the border, I now look forward to not having to break with my party in order to do so,” Guillen said.
After much consideration and prayer with my family, I feel that my fiscally conservative, pro-business, and pro-life values are no longer in-step with the Democrat Party of today, and I am proudly running as a Republican to represent House District 31. pic.twitter.com/CRKOhVnSG4
— Rep. Ryan Guillen (@RyanGuillen) November 15, 2021
[READ MORE] Top Dem seen fall-down drunk on camera
The Associated Press contributed to this article