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Three Democratic lawmakers in Louisiana and North Carolina switched parties recently. Should Democrats worry?

Three state lawmakers have now switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the last month. Its part of a decades-long trend thats helped the GOP consolidate power in certain states, handing them majorities, and even supermajorities.

On Monday, Louisiana Rep. Jeremy LaCombe became the second Democrat in the state house to defect, just weeks after Rep. Francis Thompson announced his decision to leave the party. Thompsons decision gave Republicans a supermajority in the state house; North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham also gave Republicans a supermajority in that states house when she announced her decision to switch parties earlier this month. Republicans in both states now have the power to override their Democratic governors vetos as a result.

Party switching isnt a new phenomenon. A total of 169 state legislators have switched parties since 1994, according to Ballotpedia. The changes have largely benefited the Republican Party, with 80 Democrats joining the GOP and only 23 Republicans becoming Democrats in the last 30 years. Those Republican pickups were mostly in states that were once more purple such as Mississippi and Louisiana that have since taken hard right turns, and where the GOP has entrenched their power through gerrymandering.

The trend isnt limited to state government. US Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona left the Democratic Party late last year and plans to run as an independent in 2024. And in 2019, US Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey notably broke Democratic ranks to vote against impeaching former President Donald Trump and declared that he would be switching parties. But it is more common at the state level, and the recent changes give rise to the question: Why are there suddenly so many party switchers at once?

Each of the state lawmakers have their individual reasons. Cotham said that she was bullied by her Democratic colleagues and that the Republican Party is a better fit for her values, even though shes previously sided with Democrats on many of the most divisive issues, including abortion rights and LGBTQ rights. Thompson said that hes felt pushed out of the Democratic Party because its stance on certain issues is incompatible with his religious views. LaCombe did not offer up his own reasoning.

But there are also some common threads among the three cases that might help explain their decisions.

In the rare instances when politicians switch parties, its typically in the direction of the party thats in power. Thats exactly what happened in both North Carolina and Louisiana. While North Carolina has been trending increasingly Democratic, its still very much purple, as evidenced by its divided government. Louisiana has become increasingly conservative, with white voters defecting from the Democratic Party to support former President Donald Trump.

Theres also an incentive for a party that is just short of a supermajority, as was the case in both states, to court members who may be on the political margins. Its not yet clear whether the GOP made any concessions to any of the three lawmakers to persuade them to come over, but its certainly possible.

Its a lot more fun to be part of the majority and even more fun to be part of the supermajority, said Steven Greene, a political science professor at North Carolina State University.

The lawmakers will inherently wield more power and have access to favorable committee assignments. But they also dont have to vote with their new parties all the time: Greene said it would be strange for Cotham to turn her back on her previous positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights, but its possible that she might vote with Republicans on the state budget, where the implementation of Medicaid expansion is likely to be contentious.

Switching parties can also be a means of political survival if a seat is trending in the direction of the opposite party. That doesnt seem to be the case with Cotham, who is in a Democratic district in Mecklenburg County that is trending bluer and doesnt seem likely to shift dramatically toward Republicans even after the states electoral maps are redrawn, said Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University. Thats led to calls from Democratic leadership for her to step down, arguing she can no longer adequately represent her constituents.

But LaCombe may have come to his decision to switch parties after he lost by 10 percentage points to a moderate Republican in his state senate campaign last year. Trump won the district LaCombe was running in by more than 20 points in 2020.

It may well also be a function of legislators seeing some electoral writing on the wall, and they dont want to be caught out in the next election with the wrong party affiliation, Taylor said.

Both Cotham and Thompson cited ideological differences with fellow Democrats that ultimately proved irreconcilable for them.

Thompson said that the party embraced positions on certain issues that did not align with those values and principles that are part of my Christian life. He had already been caucusing with Republicans, becoming the only Democrat in 2021 to call for overturning Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwardss vetoes of bills that would ban trans girls from school sports and repeal permit requirements to carry concealed handguns.

Cotham said that her Democratic colleagues had attempted to control her and that the party had become unrecognizable to me and to so many others throughout this state and this country.

Has the party left them or have they left the party? said Michael Bitzer, a politics and history professor at Catawba College.

But while there might be common threads among the Democratic lawmakers who have recently defected, sometimes state politics defies logic and comes down to personal relationships. Cotham claimed mistreatment by her Democratic colleagues, and another lawmaker who switched parties earlier this year in New Jersey did so over his former Republican colleagues suggestion that he was too old and might die in office.

State legislative bodies are strange institutions that, in many ways, resemble high school campuses, Taylor said. They tend not to get wrapped up in the big matters of affairs of state that members of Congress are wrapped up in. And so you get these relationships, these petty jealousies, these rivalries, and those things can sometimes make a difference.

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Why these Democrats are defecting to the Republican Party - Vox.com

Democrats in the Louisiana House have lost another member, the second party switchin less than a month amid a yearslong decline in Democratic electoral fortunes.

State Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, a Democrat who was elected in 2019 to District 18, spanning parts of Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge parishes, said Monday he is switching his party affiliation to Republican.

Republicans in the state House recently gained a supermajority a crucial threshold for overriding vetoes and passing tax measures because another Democrat, Rep. Francis Thompson of Delhi, switched to the GOP. In that case, the state GOP held a press event touting the news.

LaCombes switch was lower profile. He confirmed the move Monday, but didn't state his reasons.

His decision comes as the Republican-led Legislature convenes in Baton Rouge forits regular legislative session, during which lawmakers will tackle insurance issues, decide where to spend an influx of additional tax dollars and take on a host of culture-war issues in an election year.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Sam Jenkins said in a statement that LaCombe still embraces "the same values" as the Democratic caucus.

"House Democrats will continue to stand up for the working people of Louisiana," he said. "We look forward to working with Rep. LaCombe during this legislative session to increase wages, lower costs, improve our schools and pass insurance reform that benefit Louisiana families and small businesses."

LaCombe easily won his House seat in 2019, beating out Republicans with 68% of the vote in a special election and 62% of the vote in an election to a full term.

When LaCombe ran for the state Senate last year to replace moderate Republican Rick Ward, Democrats saw it as their best opportunity to flip a seat, which would have been a small positive step after years of declines. Donald Trump won the district with 61% of the vote in 2020, but Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards also won it with 55% in 2019.

But LaCombe lost badly to a Republican, Caleb Kleinpeter, a former member of the West Baton Rouge Parish Council. Republicans maintain a supermajority in the state Senate.

LaCombes switch gives Democrats only 32 members in the 105-member House. Republicans now have 71, and there are two independents. Veto overrides, tax measures and some other important decisions require 70 votes in the House to pass.

Louisiana was once dominated by Democrats, but in recent years the GOP has assumed immense power. While Edwards won two improbable terms as governor, all other statewide elected officials are Republicans. The GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, and they asserted their power by drawing district maps that favor Republicans in last years redistricting cycle.

Party registration has also tilted toward Republicans, though Democrats still maintain an edge in registered voters. The latest data from the Secretary of State shows 39% of registered voters are Democrats, while nearly 34% are Republicans. Twenty-seven percent are independents.

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Another Louisiana House Democrat has switched parties to Republican - The Advocate

Democrats were dealt another blow from within their own ranks this week as yet another state lawmaker declared he was leaving the party.

According to a Monday report by The Advocate, a Louisiana-based newspaper, state Rep. Jeremy LaCombe announced he had left the Democratic Party and would be registering as a Republican.

EMBOLDENED BY NEW SUPERMAJORITY, NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS GO TO WORK ON TRANSGENDER BILLS

A general view of the Louisiana State Capitol prior to a rally against Louisiana's stay-at-home order and economic shutdown on April 17, 2020, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear what prompted LaCombe's departure, however he is now the second Louisiana Democrat in less than a month to switch party affiliations, and the third nationwide after another state lawmaker in North Carolina did the same.

Last month, Louisiana state Rep. Francis Thompson gave Republicans in the state House a supermajority after he switched his party affiliation, and earlier this month, North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham gave Republicans in the state House a supermajority with her switch as well.

Republican Louisiana state Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, a former Democrat. (Office of Rep. Jeremy LaCombe)

CHARLOTTE DEMOCRAT SWITCHED PARTIES AFTER BEING CALLED AMMOSEXUAL, CRITIQUED FOR INVOKING JESUS CHRIST

The switches come as President Biden faces a near-record low approval rating among key groups, including women (43% now vs. 42% low), voters ages 45+ (41% vs. 39% low), suburban voters (41% vs. 39% low), rural voters (31% vs. 30% low) and Democrats (81% vs. 78% low) Democratic men in particular (79% vs. 78% low), according to a recent Fox News poll.

Biden is also at a low mark of 41% approval among suburban women.

North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham announces she's leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican at the North Carolina GOP headquarters in Raleigh, April 5, 2023. (Screenshot/WBTV)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Additionally, a separate recent poll found that only a third of Americans believed Biden deserved to be re-elected in 2024.

Fox News' Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

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Democrats dealt another blow: third lawmaker leaves party, switches to Republican within a month - Fox News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The second of two Black Democrats who were kicked out of the Republican-led Tennessee House followed his colleague back to work at the Capitol on Thursday, a week after their expulsion for participating in a gun control protest propelled them into the national spotlight.

State Rep. Justin Pearson, of Memphis, was sworn in Thursday outside the Statehouse. The day before, Shelby County commissioners unanimously voted to reinstate him.

Yes indeed, happy resurrection day, Pearson said Thursday morning as he signed paperwork for his return.

There will be a new building of this building, with a foundation built on love, Pearson said during a fiery speech outside the Capitol after being sworn in. With pillars of justice rising up. With rafters of courage covering us. With doors that are open to everybody in the state of Tennessee. Not just rich somebodies, but everybody. Not just straight somebodies, but everybody. Not just Republican somebodies, but everybody.

After delivering his speech to supporters and reporters outside the Capitol, Pearson walked into the House chamber as debate on bills was underway. He pumped his fists and silently mouthed, This is our House. Those in the gallery pumped their fists back and mouthed Our House as Pearson circled around the floor.

Before Pearson returned to the chamber, lawmakers cheered and applauded as the police officers who responded to the deadly March 27 mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school shooting the event that prompted the gun control protest were honored in the chamber. Democratic state Rep. Bob Freeman praised the officers bravery but also stressed to his fellow lawmakers that inaction is not an option on how to respond to the tragedy.

Republicans banished Pearson and Rep. Justin Jones last week over their role in the protest on the House floor over the shooting, which leftthree children and three adults dead.

In his address outside the Capitol, Pearson read the names of those killed and referenced another mass shooting on Monday at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, in which five people were killed and eight others were injured.

Tennessee Reps.Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson.

Our law enforcement, which many people praise, are being forced to go to war when they just are going to work, Pearson said. Kids are told to go to fortresses, instead of to go to school and places of learning. Were told to go to church, carrying the status quos thoughts and prayers, while we must be in fear that somebody will walk in with an assault weapon.

The Nashville Metropolitan Council took only a few minutes Monday to restore Jones to office. He was quickly reinstated to his House seat that day.

The appointments are interim, though both Jones and Pearson plan to run in special elections for the seats later this year.

The Houses vote to remove Pearson and Jones but keep white state Rep. Gloria Johnson drew accusations of racism. Johnson survived by one vote. Republican leadership denied that race was a factor, noting that Johnson's role in the protest didn't involve some steps that Jones and Pearson took, including speaking into a bullhorn.

Banishment is a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures have the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.

The expulsions last Thursday made Tennesseea new front in the battlefor the future of American democracy. In the span of a few days, the two raised thousands of campaign dollars and the Tennessee Democratic Party received a new jolt of support from across the U.S.

Political tensions rose when Pearson, Johnson and Jones, from the House floor, joined with hundreds of demonstrators who packed the Capitol to call for passage of gun control measures.

As protesters filled the galleries, the lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant. The scene unfolded days after the shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school. Their participation from the front of the chamber broke House rules because the three did not have permission from the House speaker.

In Tennessee, Republican lawmakers have been supportive of the idea to strengthen school safety, but they have largely rejected calls for stricter gun controls with only weeks to go in the legislative session.

The shooting and aftermath have pushed some, including Republican Gov. Bill Lee, to support some changes.

Lee has since called on the General Assembly to pass legislation aimed at keepingdangerous people from acquiring weapons. It's unclear how successful he will be at drumming up support from lawmakers within his party at the tail end of the legislative session.

Lee, meanwhile, has avoided commenting on the lawmakers expulsions, saying the controversy is a House issue.

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Second expelled Black Democrat reinstated to Tennessee House - WPSD Local 6

Florida

Lauren Book has led the fight against the near-total ban and the dangerous consequences of bill that is expected to pass the state house and to be signed by Governor DeSantis

Last week, Lauren Book, the top Democrat in the Florida senate was placed in handcuffs, arrested and charged with trespassing, after refusing to leave an abortion rights demonstration near the state capitol building in Tallahassee.

Hours before, Republican lawmakers in the state senate advanced the legislation, which would dramatically restrict the states current ban on abortion from 15 weeks of pregnancy to six weeks before many women even realize theyre pregnant. Critics say the narrow window would amount to a near-total ban on abortions in the state.

The bill would have far-reaching implications across the south. After the supreme courts decision to eliminate a womans constitutional right to an abortion, Florida became a haven for women seeking reproductive care from states where access was prohibited or severely restricted, including Louisiana and Alabama.

Its a scary time, Book told the Guardian ahead of the vote. Women are being put in very, very dangerous situations to get the healthcare they need and deserve.

Republican dominance in the state legislature means the bills fate is all but sealed, she acknowledged. The Republican-controlled house is expected to give the bill final approval as soon as this week. It will then be sent to Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is widely expected to run for president and who has signaled his support.

But Book, who has led the opposition to this bill in the state senate, vowed to keep fighting as a political leader and, she said, as a mother furious that her twins a boy and a girl no longer have the same rights to bodily autonomy.

In the course of just two generations, weve seen our rights won and lost, she said in a floor speech last week. It is up to us to get them back. No one is going to save us but ourselves.

Book became senate minority leader in 2021, having served in the chamber since 2017. The following year, DeSantis signed into law a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, without exceptions for rape or incest.

A sharp backlash to last summers supreme court decision overturning Roe v Wade fueled a string of ballot-box successes for abortion rights and powered Democrats to victory in states across the country in the 2022 midterm elections. But not in Florida.

In November, DeSantis won re-election by nearly 20 points in a state that was once a presidential battleground, while Republicans claimed a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature.

Emboldened, Republican lawmakers have advanced a dizzying array of legislative proposals that have thrilled conservatives, alarmed liberals and offered a policy platform from which the governor could launch a presidential bid.

As minority leader, Book believes it is her role to rally the opposition and help Democrats claw back power in 2024. We are going to do the work to get the numbers out in 24, she said, because the alternative is not acceptable. Its dangerous and it is killing women.

In addition to the abortion bill, the states Republican lawmakers are pressing forward with legislation that would impose new controls on trans youth, limit drag performances, ease media defamation suits, expand the states controversial Dont Say Gay law, ban diversity and equity programs at public universities and colleges, place new restrictions on public-sector unions, and allow a divided jury to impose a death sentence. Already this session, DeSantis signed a law expanding Floridas school voucher system, and another allowing Floridians to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

But while DeSantiss conservative crusade may excite his base, Book said she expects it will backfire on him.

Were not doing the things that matter to Floridians. Were not doing the things that make life here better, she said, arguing that the legislature should be focused on tackling the rising cost of property insurance. Instead, were attacking small groups of people, were taking away womens rights, all under the banner of freedom and allowing this guy to run for president.

The governors office did not respond to a request for comment.

With the abortion bill barrelling toward the governors desk, Book said she and her Democratic colleagues are using every legislative tool at their disposal to draw attention to the dangerous consequences of the legislation.

They offered numerous amendments, including one that would allow women seeking abortions to cite religious exemption. Another put forward by Book would have renamed the so-called Heartbeat Protection Act to the Electrical activity that can be manipulated to sound like a heartbeat through ultrasound protection at the expense of pregnant peoples health and well being act. All were rejected.

When the bill came before the senate health policy committee for debate, Democrats extended the session so medical providers and opponents would have more than the allotted 30 seconds to testify, Book said. In speeches, she shared the stories of women, including a constituent, who faced life-threatening complications after the loss of desired pregnancies because their states new abortion restrictions prevented doctors from administering miscarriage care.

And last week, senate Democrats engaged in an emotional floor debate ahead of the senate vote on the six-week ban. From the public gallery overlooking the chamber, protesters repeatedly disrupted the proceedings, shouting down lawmakers who spoke supportively of the legislation. Several were removed before the senate president ordered the gallery cleared.

The displays of opposition have had little effect.

State senator Erin Grall, a Republican sponsor of the bill, said during the debate that bodily autonomy should not give a person the permission to kill an innocent human being. Republicans have sought to emphasize that the measure allows for exceptions in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking until 15 weeks of pregnancy additions DeSantis has called sensible.

Critics counter that the exceptions are narrow, noting that the proposal will require victims to provide a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order before they can receive an abortion.

Book, a sexual assault survivor, says the paperwork requirement will keep women from seeking care. Show your documents to prove that you were raped? Book said. You dont even need to do that now to carry a gun.

The bills proponents also tout provisions that would expand funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers and provide families car seats, cribs and diapers. Book called the initiatives insulting.

Youre going to give them car seats or a crib? What about healthcare? What about child care? Those are things that people need, Book said. Theyre not pro life. Theyre pro-birth.

Book sees a backlash brewing in Florida, though it wont come in time to stop Republicans from passing the ban.

According to a recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, nearly two-thirds of Floridians believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Another poll published last month found that roughly three in four Florida voters, including 61% of Republican respondents, say they oppose a six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. (Notably, the measure that passed the Florida senate does allow for exceptions, which was not asked as part of the polling question.)

Activists on both sides of the abortion debate are, meanwhile, waiting on a decision by the Florida supreme court, which is weighing a challenge to the states current 15-week ban. The six-week proposal would only go into effect if the 15-week ban is upheld.

Book said she would like to see the matter settled by Florida voters in the form of a ballot initiative, like it was in Michigan and other states. In the meantime, she is urging women in Florida and around the country not to take matters into your own hands.

Protesters have once again gathered in Tallahassee, as the Republican-controlled house charges ahead with a debate on the measure scheduled for Thursday. Among them will be Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic party, who was arrested alongside Book last week. For Book, the womens resistance is proof that however bleak it may appear now, the fight for abortion rights in Florida is only just beginning.

Im heartened by the women who are now occupying Tallahassee and not going quietly into the night, she said. I think that is emblematic that this is not over.

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Originally posted here:
Its a scary time: Florida Democrat vows to keep fighting six-week abortion ban - The Guardian US