On Saturday, a Democrat county official in Texas made the decision to switch parties, citing border security policy and support for law enforcement as her primary reasoning behind the switch.
Kira Talip Sanchez, the Attorney for Kleberg County, confirmed her decision to join the GOP in a statement to Fox News. She addressed the Hispanic Republicans of Texas PAC at their 2024 election season kickoff event.
Kleberg County borders the Gulf of Mexico in the south of Texas. While it has historically leaned blue, the county voted for former President George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004, and voted in favor of former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Sanchez cited the “unprecedented” border crisis as a main reason for her switch.
“As County Attorney, I have been proud to work with law enforcement to ensure the safety of the citizens of Kleberg County,” Sanchez said in a statement. “There is an unprecedented crisis at our southern border. I believe that the GOP’s policies of law and order protecting safety, and backing the blue best align with my values and the values of the citizens of Kleberg County.”
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to keep South Texas safe,” Sanchez added.
Lawmakers from across the country have been falling away from the Democratic party in significant numbers of the course of the last several months. Perhaps the most major switch came with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who left the party at the end of 2022. In the months following, dozens of Democrat lawmakers have switched their party affiliation to either Independent or Republican.
Texas Republicans, meanwhile, have been extremely critical of the federal government’s response to the border crisis, arguing that President Joe Biden’s policies have been ineffective or negligent. Lately, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has attempted to take matters into his own hands by creating a floating buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, which he argues is necessary to combat the flood of illegal immigrants, but has led to a lawsuit from the Department of Justice.
On Friday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that there were 183,503 migrant encounters at the southern border in July – a steep increase from the 144,566 seen in June.
Hispanic Republicans of Texas President Cassy Garcia said in a statement that she was “excited” to continue her outreach to Democratic voters across the Lone Star State.
“Every day, we are meeting with people who have voted for Democrats for decades but that this is no longer their Abuelos’ Democratic Party,” Garcia argued. “It’s become too radical, elitist, and out of touch with our values.”
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