A Democratic county official in Texas announced she switched parties to become a Republican this week, continuing a trend of state and county level officials ditching the Democratic Party this year.
Kira Talip Sanchez, who is the attorney for Kleberg County in southern Texas, confirmed her switch this week, pointing to the crisis at the southern border as justification.
"As County Attorney, I have been proud to work with law enforcement to ensure the safety of the citizens of Kleberg County," Sanchez said. "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."
Sanchez was elected to the role in 2014 and heads the county's Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force.
"I look forward to working with my colleagues to keep South Texas safe," Sanchez said.
Elliott Pritt, a freshman representative from West Virginia, switched in April because he said he could "no longer continue supporting or advocating for issues that the vast majority of my constituents do not support."
"There is very little room in the party for traditional values or differences regarding political opinion," Pritt said in a letter to the state’s House Democratic Caucus.
Louisiana lost two Democrats in March and April. Representatives Jeremey LaCombe and Francis Thompson joined Republicans and granted the GOP a supermajority in the legislature. Thompson had served as a Democrat for nearly 50 years.
Tricia Cotham, a representative from 2007 to 2017 who entered the North Carolina House again in January, switched to the GOP earlier this year, saying the "modern-day Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me."