Late Monday, Sen. Dawn Addiego (R-NJ) announced that she will be leaving the Republican party to become a Democrat. With this move, New Jersey State Senator Addiego will give Senate President Steve Sweeney and South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross a huge political victory, ensuring a Democratic majority in her state’s senate.
New Jersey state Sen. Dawn Addiego is leaving the Republican Party to become a Democrat.
It gives Democrats a 26-14 majority in the state senate, giving the GOP the smallest amount of seats in the chamber since 1981. https://t.co/Ip1k9ByE4Q
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 29, 2019
According to the New Jersey Globe:
‘The four-term senator from Burlington County brings the total number of South Jersey Democratic senators to seven and expands Sweeney’s lock on the Senate Democratic caucus.
“’As gridlock in Washington dominates the news, it has become increasingly clear that in order to effect change you have to be part of the discussion and not on the outside looking in,” Addiego said in an a statement announcing her switch to the Democratic Party. “The people of the 8th district did not elect me to be content in the role of loyal opposition.”
‘Addiego said that her support for Sweeney’s agenda played a major role in her decision to switch parties.’
Addiego went on to say that like Sweeney, she believes “that New Jersey’s current fiscal mess cannot be fixed by putting our heads in the sand and pretending it does not exist.”
You might think that this wouldn’t go over well with most of her constituents, but you’d be wrong… Most of the feedback has been amazing!
Here are some of our favorite reactions:
Senator Addiego explained her reasons for leaving the Republican party:
‘My core values that originally drew me to the Republican Party have not changed, but the party which once echoed the vision of Ronald Reagan no longer exists.
‘Oil drilling off our coast and tax policy which unfairly penalizes New Jersey families are just a few examples of a National Republican Party that has lost its way.
Senator Addiego’s district now has 6,694 more Democrats than Republicans. While that may not seem like a major win to most — on a state-wide level — New Jersey Democrats will now have a 26-14 majority in the Senate, giving Republicans the least number of seats there since 1981.
Featured image via YouTube
