Last Friday, the Mayor of Dallas, Texas, conveyed in an editorial for the Wall Street Journal that he would be departing from the Democratic Party and changing his political allegiance to the Republican Party. In his opinion piece, Mayor Eric Johnson, who had previously identified as a Democrat, asserted that there is a mutual necessity for Republicans in American cities and for American cities within the Republican Party.
Johnson has been a dedicated member of the Democratic Party for an extended period, with a political career that spanned nine years in the Texas legislature before his mayoral election in 2019. Nevertheless, he has opted to disaffiliate from the party due to a misalignment of his views with theirs. It’s worth noting that Johnson holds a technically nonpartisan position as mayor, but his departure from the Democratic Party now places Dallas alongside Fort Worth as the second major city in Texas to be governed by a mayor affiliated with the Republican Party.
“I have no intention of changing my approach to my job. But today I am changing my party affiliation. Next spring, I will be voting in the Republican primary. When my career in elected office ends in 2027 on the inauguration of my successor as mayor, I will leave office as a Republican.”
He further elucidated that his decision to change political affiliations stemmed from a strong emphasis on maintaining law and order and adhering to fiscal conservatism. His argument was centered on the belief that the Republican Party possessed superior capabilities to guide not only Dallas but also other American cities in the days to come. This development coincides with a surge in violent crime in the city, exacerbated by staffing shortages within the Dallas Police Department following the events of the 2020 George Floyd protests and the ensuing anti-police ideology.
Johnson also highlighted that policies affiliated with the Democratic Party have led to turmoil in Democratic-leaning cities across the United States. This includes cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia, which have witnessed a significant surge in vicious crime.
