Democrat Lawmaker Switches Republican, Voting Trump

Gloria Romero, former Democratic majority leader in the California state Senate, has announced that she is switching to the Republican party and will be voting for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking on Fox News, Romero said that the Democratic Party “has moved so far to the left, it’s been the party that marched towards war, towards censorship, towards authoritarianism.”

Romero served in office from 1998 to 2010, initially as a member of the California State Assembly for the 49th district, then as a member of the California State Senate for the 24th district, and between 2005 and 2008, she served as majority lead of the California state senate.

In the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election, she endorsed the Republican Larry Elder as a replacement candidate for Democratic governor Gavin Newsom.

Romero made her announcement at the State Capitol, alongside Rep. Keven Kiley, California GOP Chair Jessica Millan Patterson and Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher.

“My biggest disconnect with my old party now has been over school choice, education freedom and the right to have quality schools for all,” Romero said. “Especially as Congressman Kevin Kiley and I have fought together, especially for school choice, for poor and minority children who are trapped in chronically failing schools,” as per KRCA3.

Newsweek has reached out to Romero via the California Globe, where she is a contributor.

Romero ran for the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2010, and lost, finishing third in the race. She went on to lead the California chapter of Democrats for Education Reform, which supports the privatization of public schools.

Romero went on Fox News to speak about the switch. “It’s been a long time coming,” she said.

“This is a Democratic Party that I no longer recognize,” she said, “it has moved so far to the left, it’s been the party that marched toward war, toward censorship, toward authoritarianism.”

Romero then listed former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, attorney Leo Terrel and Robert F. Kennedy Jr as examples of former democrats that have turned republican, stating: “I’m among the latest that just said, me too, I can’t take it anymore.”

The move has been met with praise from the GOP. Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones released a statement and said: “It takes real courage to step away from the Party you’ve led and stand for what is right.”

Democrats however have highlighted that Romero’s move doesn’t come as a shock, given her support for the Republican Larry Elder in 2021. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Drexel Herd, the former executive director of the L.A. County Democratic Party, wrote “Three years or so ago, Gloria Romero publicly stated this … in a op-ed, I believe. Republicans are so desperate for any news, they have to drudge up old news to stay relevant.”

He added, “Let’s be honest—back in 2021 in the L.A. Times she was supporting Larry Elder. There is no “news” here today.”

This announcement comes around a month after California Senator Marie Alvardo-Gil left the Democratic Party and joined the Republicans. She said that “the status quo under a supermajority Democratic rule in the legislature is simply not working for this state,” when announcing the move.

There have also been instances of Republicans moving to the Democratic Party. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, appeared at the Democratic National Convention where he spoke against his party and their support of Trump. Similarly, Micheal Cohen, Trump’s former “fixer” and lawyer appeared at the DNC and is now a registered Democrat.

Newsweek has reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns via email for comment.

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