On Friday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced he will leave the failed Democratic party and change his affiliation to the Republican party.
In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal Friday morning, he explained his decision.
Johnson discussed the successful work his administration has done to reduce violent crime in his city and shared his pride in lowering property tax rates to increase investor interest.
Johnson received 98.7% of the vote in his re-election campaign this year and while he confirms he has no plans to change his approach, he will change his party affiliation, saying: “Next spring I will vote in the Republican primaries. When my career in elected office ends in 2027 with the inauguration of my successor as mayor, I will resign from office as a Republican.”
Further, Johnson explains, “The future of America’s major urban centers depends on the willingness of the nation’s mayors to defend law and order and practice fiscal conservatism. Our cities desperately need the genuine commitment to these principles (as opposed to the inconsistent, poll-based commitment of many Democrats) that has long been a defining characteristic of the Republican Party.”
With that in mind, Johnson continued:
In other words, American cities need Republicans – and Republicans need American cities. When my political hero Theodore Roosevelt was born, only 20% of Americans lived in urban areas. By the time he was elected president, that share had doubled to 40%. Today this stands at 80%. As American cities do, so does America.
Unfortunately, many of our cities are in disarray. Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or exercise fiscal restraint. Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories of liberalism rather than havens of opportunity and free enterprise.
Too often, local taxpayer dollars are spent on policies that worsen homelessness, coddle criminals and make it harder for everyday people to make a living. And too many local Democrats are stuck on virtue signaling — proposing half-baked government programs aimed at solving every social problem — and finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger and more vibrant cities.
The most Texas story you’ll read today
Days after AG Ken Paxton was acquitted, recently re-elected Democratic Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced he is switching to the Republican Party
“America’s Cities Need Republicans and I’m Becoming One”
Welcome brother! pic.twitter.com/2xLaUlrkrH
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 22, 2023
Dallas Democratic Mayor Eric Johnson has announced he is becoming a Republican:
“America’s cities need Republicans, and I’m becoming one: while Dallas has thrived, Democratic policies elsewhere have worsened crime and homelessness.” pic.twitter.com/02uBrCoZNW
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 22, 2023