Prominent Republican Denounces GOP & Becomes A Democrat

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Colorado state Sen. Kevin Priola announced this week that he was changing his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. One of the key issues he said drove his decision was the Republican Party’s continued allegiance to Trump, even after the deadly Capitol riot.

Priola’s decision means Republicans hoping to regain control of the Colorado state Senate, where they’re currently in the minority, must flip another seat in the 35-member chamber. In a publicly available letter, Priola expressed concerns about the way the few Republicans speaking out against Trump and some of the dangers associated with the former president’s actions were quickly shunned. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) just lost the primary by a large margin in her race for re-election. Additionally, he’s not alone in facing threats, but Trump opponent Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who is retiring, has been targeted by phone calls to his office threatening him and his family. “We know where your family is and we’re going to get you,” one caller said, adding to Kinzinger that he would “get your wife” and “get your kids.”

“Like many Coloradans, I watched the events on January 6th with horror,” Priola wrote. “I felt that clearly this would be the last straw and that my party would now finally distance itself from Donald Trump and the political environment he created. Week after week and month after month, I waited for that response; it never came… I cannot continue to be a part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen.” Priola also shared worries about the Republican Party’s general dismissiveness towards climate change. “Today, my Republican colleagues would rather deny the existence of human-caused climate change than take action,” he wrote. “I increasingly believe this inaction is counter to our responsibility as political leaders.”

Priola said he wasn’t changing the way he voted on legislation, meaning the general policy ambitions with which he aligned himself. In the letter outlining his reasoning behind deciding to switch parties, he noted he’s against abortion and broadly in support of gun rights (although plenty of Democrats also support reasonably broad gun rights). Priola also noted the potential ramifications of his decision to switch, specifically in terms of what it means for how easily Republicans can regain control of the Colorado state Senate, which the party last held in the early parts of Trump’s term. Democrats won control of the chamber in the 2018 elections and held it in 2020. Priola indicated he specifically believed Democrats should control the state Senate, meaning he was evidently willing to let his personal political ambitions contrary to the Democratic majority go in favor of the broader agenda.

“Simply put, we need Democrats in charge because our planet and our democracy depend on it,” Priola remarked. Democrats welcomed him. “Over the past four years, Senate Democrats have taken bold, meaningful action to curb emissions, prepare for climate related disasters — including wildfires — and invest in renewable energy. And despite consistent fierce opposition from his Republican colleagues, Senator Priola has been a tremendously valuable partner of ours almost every step of the way,” state Senate President Sen. Steve Fenberg (D) said about Priola’s party switch announced this week.