Last month, a longtime Texas Democratic state lawmaker, Rep. Ryan Guillen, announced that he is switching to the Republican Party. In his announcement, he noted that liberal values are not the values of most Texans, specifically, defunding the police, destroying the oil and gas industry, and the ongoing border crisis. This week, a Democratic lawmaker from a blue state announced that he will leave the Democratic Party as well.
New Mexico State Sen. Jacob Candelaria, from Bernalillo County, announced this week that he is no longer a Democrat, changing his party affiliation to "decline to state." In his announcement, he said he's tired of partisan politics and said the Democratic Party needs to "wake up," local outlet KRQE announced Monday.
"The Democratic Party has been asleep at the wheel for decades on issues that we claim matter most to communities of color and the poor," Candelaria said in his announcement on the Senate floor during a special session on redistricting.
According to KRQE, Candelaria also stated the Democrats and Republicans need to begin using "common sense" and work together.
Candelaria has served in the state Senate since 2013 but recently announced that he will not seek reelection in 2024. This year Candelaria and Republican State Sen. Greg Baca filed a lawsuit against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, over her spending of federal pandemic aid.
The lawsuit, which was filed in September, alleges that Grisham violated the state's constitution by appropriating $600 million of the $1.73 billion in government funds received by the state without legislative approval. The complaint asks the State Supreme Court to prevent any more unauthorized spending of the remaining amount, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
"You are the most powerful person elected in the state, but that does not mean you are above the law," Candelaria reportedly said to local outlet KOAT. "The rules and law apply to Michelle Lujan Grisham as much as they apply to all of us, and if it doesn't, the law means nothing to any of us."