A Democrat in a heavily Hispanic district in Texas has just switched to the Republican Party because, as he puts it, the values of Democrats are not the values of most Texas:
Welcome to the party of freedom, opportunity & prosperity @RyanGuillen.
As Dems move further left, they're abandoning the people of South Texas & their values.
Rep. Guillen's decision to switch parties is indicative of a shifting landscape in South Texas. pic.twitter.com/6gwEV0DNqB
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 15, 2021
Here’s more from the NY POST
Longtime Texas Democratic state Rep. Ryan Guillen announced Monday he is switching parties and joining the GOP, saying that his “fiscally conservative, pro-business, and pro-life values are no longer in step with the Democrat Party of today.”
Guillen made the announcement at a news conference alongside top Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, and Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi.
Guillen, 44, was first elected to the Texas House in 2002 and represents the 31st District, which extends north from Starr County on the Mexico border to Atascosa County, just south of San Antonio and approximately 200 miles north of Guillen’s hometown of Rio Grande City.
The district is predominantly populated by Hispanic voters and has traditionally voted for Democrats. However, Joe Biden underperformed there in 2020 as areas near the border tilted Republican due to immigration issues.
“Friends, something is happening in South Texas, and many of us are waking up to the fact that the values of those in Washington, DC, are not our values, not the values of most Texans,” Guillen said, according to the Texas Tribune. “The ideology of defunding the police, of destroying the oil and gas industry and the chaos at our border is disastrous for those of us who live here in South Texas.”
I hope Guillen doesn’t turn out to be a Texas RINO when all is said and done; that’s always my worry when someone switches parties like this. But it sounds like he’s at least saying some of the right things and hopefully we’ll find out he’s more conservative as we go along.