{"id":2336828,"date":"2024-09-04T17:53:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T21:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leading-ex-california-democratic-state-senator-defects-to-gop-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-04T17:58:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T21:58:29","slug":"leading-ex-california-democratic-state-senator-defects-to-gop-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leading-ex-california-democratic-state-senator-defects-to-gop-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading ex-California Democratic state senator defects to GOP &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleading-ex-california-democratic-state-senator-defects-to-gop-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2336828&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former California Democratic State Senate\u200b leader, Gloria Romero, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-whitmer-media-caught-in-another-lie-anarchist-arrested-for-plot-to-kidnap-and-kill-whitmer-hates-president-trump-trump-is-a-tyrant-video\/\" title=\"Gov. Whitmer, Media Caught in Another Lie - Anarchist Arrested For Plot to Kidnap and Kill Whitmer Hates President Trump, &#039;Trump is a Tyrant&#039; (VIDEO)\">announced<\/a> her\u2062 defection to \u2062the Republican \u2064Party during a press conference facilitated by commentator Steve Hilton. Romero, who previously \u200dheld significant roles within the\u2064 Democratic \u200cParty, expressed her discontent with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activist-investors-are-seizing-companies-to-push-social-justice-measures\/\" title=\"\u2018Activist Investors\u2019 Are Seizing Companies To Push Social Justice Measures\">current direction<\/a> of \u2062the party, stating, \u200c&#8221;This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed.&#8221; She criticized the Democrats for actions she deems anti-democratic, including rigged\u2064 primaries and a &#8220;political \u200dcoup&#8221; against President Biden. Romero articulated her support \u2062for Republican values, particularly under Donald Trump, emphasizing issues such as women&#8217;s rights, immigration,\u200c crime, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/three-takeaways-from-day-one-of-turning-point-action-conference\/\" title=\"Three key insights from day one of the Turning Point Action conference.\">rising \u200dcost<\/a> of living, as\u2064 well \u2062as her staunch advocacy for \u200cschool choice and educational freedom for disadvantaged\u200c children. Her decision reflects a broader ideological shift \u2062and dissatisfaction \u2064with the evolution of the Democratic Party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Leading ex-California Democratic state senator defects to GOP<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1744966\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"California\">California<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Democratic\">Democratic<\/a> state Senate leader has defected to the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Former California State Senate Democratic Majority Leader Gloria Romero announced her decision at a press conference hosted by Republican commentator Steve Hilton, who livestreamed it on his X account. She was joined by several leading Republican legislators.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former state Sen. Gloria Romero of Los Angeles speaks during a news conference organized by the Californians for Safer Communities Coalition, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Culver City, California. (AP Photo\/Ryan Sun)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;In this Capitol behind me, I served as both Senate Democratic Caucus chair and the Senate majority leader. But today I say goodbye. Adios! I&rsquo;ve had enough,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Romero recalled her role as the Democratic convention delegate for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, then for former President Barack Obama at three separate conventions. She said her heroes growing up were Democratic titans Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I do not recognize it anymore, and I cannot continue. I changed my voting registration today as the sun was rising to Republican, which has, under Donald Trump, become the champion of working people &hellip; and indeed, I will vote for Donald Trump this fall.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For her reasoning, she accused the Democrats of stifling democracy, going so far as to compare them to Latin American dictators. She said the party rigs primaries against candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and executed a &ldquo;political coup&rdquo; against President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Romero also hit the Democrats on women&rsquo;s rights, criticizing the undermining of Title IX protections, and going too far on abortion. Immigration, crime, and the rising cost of living were topics of her criticism as well.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But perhaps my biggest disconnect with my old party now has been over school choice, education freedom, and the right to have quality schools for all, especially as congressman Kevin Kiley and I have fought together, especially for school choice for poor and minority children who are trapped in chronically failing schools,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Romero concluded that she left the party &ldquo;with sadness, but it is with the belief that this is best for the future. I stayed for as long as I could. I tried reforms, I spoke out, I voted. Today, I turn to the future. A land of opportunity and free speech. I am excited to join a party that was started by the greatest American, Abraham Lincoln, and the challenges of building a new great republic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After leaving office in 2010, Romero has been increasingly critical of the Democratic Party. In a November 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/californiaglobe.com\/fr\/gloria-romero-memo-to-my-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"op-ed\">op-ed<\/a> for the <em>California Globe<\/em>, she warned about a decline of the party unless an overhaul was undertaken.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a lifetime Democrat, I am horrified to see a Democratic Party I once revered&mdash;a party that sent us to the moon and back and inspired a new generation of youth like me with messaging replete with opportunity, hope, optimism, and belief in working-class Americans&mdash;now on the path to irrelevance and political extinction across major swaths of our country,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1744966\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1744966\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A prominent former California Democratic state senator has switched allegiance to the Republican Party. Gloria Romero, who previously served as the Democratic Majority Leader in the California State Senate, made her announcement during a press conference organized by Republican commentator Steve Hilton, which was streamed live on his X account. Romero was accompanied by several notable Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>During her speech, she reflected on her past roles as both chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and majority leader, stating, &#8220;But today I say goodbye. Adios! I\u2019ve had enough.&#8221; She reminisced about being a delegate for Rev. Jesse Jackson and former President Barack Obama at three conventions and expressed admiration for historical Democratic figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.<\/p>\n<p>Romero criticized the current state of the Democratic Party, claiming it no longer resembles what she once supported: &#8220;This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed&#8230; I do not recognize it anymore.&#8221; She announced that she had changed her voter registration to Republican at sunrise and expressed her intention to vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>She accused Democrats of undermining democracy by manipulating primaries against candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging they executed a &#8220;political coup&#8221; against President Biden. Additionally, she voiced concerns over women&#8217;s rights issues related to Title IX protections and extreme abortion policies while also addressing immigration, crime rates, and rising living costs.<\/p>\n<p>Romero highlighted education as a significant point of contention with her former party: \u201cMy biggest disconnect&#8230; has been over school choice.\u201d She emphasized her commitment to advocating for educational opportunities for underprivileged children alongside Congressman Kevin Kiley.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding her remarks with mixed emotions about leaving the party after years of service\u2014despite attempts at reform\u2014she stated that this decision is ultimately best for future prospects: \u201cI am excited to join a party that was started by Abraham Lincoln.\u201d Since leaving office in 2010, Romero has increasingly criticized Democrats; in a November 2021 op-ed for California Globe, she warned about their decline unless significant changes were made<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2336829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Romero.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4045,3685,6203,5894,40118],"class_list":["post-2336828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california","tag-democrats","tag-gop","tag-politics","tag-senatordefection"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Romero.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2336828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2336828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2336829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2336828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2336828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2336828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}