California State Senator Switches from Democrat to Republican: ‘Not the Party that I Signed Up For’

A California Democrat state senator is defecting to the Republican Party, saying that the current state of the left “is not the party that I signed up for decades ago.”

State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, a longtime Democrat who represents the northeastern portion of California’s Central Valley, took to Fox News on Thursday to break the news of her party switch.

“In the past two years that I’ve been working in the Senate, I have not recognized the party that I belong to,” the legislator said. “The Democratic Party is not the party that I signed up for decades ago.”

“I can’t, in good conscience, with the values that I have and my commitment to represent the voters of California, continue to call myself a Democrat,” Alvarado-Gil continued. 

Lamenting fighting an “uphill battle” to make positive changes with her fellow Democrats, she stated that her Republican colleagues “have a plan to fix California, and I want to be part of that.”

The state’s fourth Senate district is largely rural and was represented by a Republican since 1993 until Alvarado-Gil was elected in 2022. 

“Since my first day in office, I have put the interests of my constituents first. I was elected to serve the public, not a political ideology,” Alvarado-Gil said. 

“The status quo under a supermajority Democratic rule in the legislature is simply not working for this state,” the lawmaker said in a follow-up statement that the New York Post obtained.

Alvarado-Gil was welcomed into the California GOP with open arms, as the State Senate’s Republican caucus called her “Pragmatic. Fierce. Strong. Republican”:

“​​I look forward to continuing the work we do to secure a safe and prosperous California for all our constituents,” said the caucus’s chair, State Sen. Kelly Seyarto.

California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) also celebrated Alvarado-Gil’s party switch, saying it “takes courage to stand up to the supermajority in California, and Marie has what it takes.”

“Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her constituents speaks for itself,” he added, continuing to say that Republicans need more “pragmatic” Democrats to join them:

The switch has gotten Republicans up to nine seats in California’s 40-member Senate. 

“I’m never going to be mad at a Democrat for becoming a Republican. People can be suspicious of the motivations, but if [the] GOP is going to pick up seats in California, we need more than just one state senator to switch,” said Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R) in an X post:

He added, “We need millions of Californians. Good news is it has been happening as every legislative district picks up voter registration.”

Alvarado-Gil has two years left in her term to work with Republicans, as she is not up for reelection until 2026.