Democratic Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that he is switching his party affiliation to Republican.
In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Johnson wrote, “American cities need Republicans — and Republicans need American cities.”
“I have no intention of changing my approach to my job. But today I am changing my party affiliation,” Johnson explained. “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.”
“I don’t believe I can stay on the sidelines any longer,” Johnson added. “I have always tried to be honest and say what I think is right for my city. The future of America’s great urban centers depends on the willingness of the nation’s mayors to champion law and order and practice fiscal conservatism. Our cities desperately need the genuine commitment to these principles (as opposed to the inconsistent, poll-driven commitment of many Democrats) that has long been a defining characteristic of the GOP.”
Johnson explained that other officials have “failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,” noting that many of those leaders are “proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded to Johnson’s announcement, tweeting, “Texas is getting more Red every day. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson switches to Republican Party. He’s pro law enforcement & won’t tolerate leftist agendas. Two of the 10 largest cities in America now have Republican Mayors & they are both in Texas.”
Texas is getting more Red every day.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 22, 2023
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson switches to Republican Party.
He’s pro law enforcement & won’t tolerate leftist agendas.
Two of the 10 largest cities in America now have Republican Mayors & they are both in Texas. https://t.co/Qn9SM7UZ1G
In the party switch, Dallas joined Fort Worth as a major Texas city led by a Republican-affiliated mayor.
Reporting from The Daily Wire:
“Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living,” the mayor added. “And too many local Democrats insist on virtue signaling — proposing half-baked government programs that aim to solve every single societal ill — and on finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at the state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger, more vibrant cities.”
