Johnson announced his party switch and wrote that "American cities need Republicans — and Republicans need American cities."
by Charlie McCarthy, Newsmax, September 25, 2023
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that he's leaving the Democratic Party and becoming a Republican after saying he sees the failed policies in other major U.S. cities led by Democrats.
In a Friday opinion column for The Wall Street Journal, Johnson announced his party switch and wrote that "American cities need Republicans — and Republicans need American cities."
"I don’t believe I can stay on the sidelines any longer," Johnson wrote. "I have always tried to be honest and say what I think is right for my city. The future of America's great urban centers depends on the willingness of the nation’s mayors to champion law and order and practice fiscal conservatism.
"Our cities desperately need the genuine commitment to these principles (as opposed to the inconsistent, poll-driven commitment of many Democrats) that has long been a defining characteristic of the GOP."
Before becoming mayor in 2019, Johnson served as a Democrat in the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives where he sought "common-sense solutions."
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"With my change in party affiliation, I recognize that the number of Republican mayors leading the nation's 10 largest cities has increased from zero to one," Johnson wrote. "This is hardly a red wave.
"But it is clear that the nation and its cities have reached a time for choosing. And the overwhelming majority of Americans who call our cities home deserve to have real choices — not 'progressive' echo chambers — at city hall."
Johnson says other major U.S. cities "are in disarray" under Democrat mayors.
"Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint," Johnson wrote. "Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.
"Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals, and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living. And too many local Democrats insist on virtue signaling — proposing half-baked government programs that aim to solve every single societal ill — and on finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at the state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger, more vibrant cities."
Johnson said the need for Republican leadership has become more urgent due to the growth of American cities.
"When my political hero Theodore Roosevelt was born, only 20% of Americans lived in urban areas," Johnson wrote. "By the time he was elected president, that share had doubled to 40%. Today, it stands at 80%. As America’s cities go, so goes America."
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Dallas-Fort Worth rates as the country's fourth largest metropolitan area, and the ninth largest city.
"Alone among America's 10 most populous cities, Dallas has brought violent crime down in every major category, including murder, year-over-year for the past two years," Johnson wrote.
"In a recent Gallup poll asking Americans to rate the safety of major cities, Dallas came out on top."
Johnson also noted that Dallas' property tax rate has decreased every year since he took office — something that has enhanced the city’s pro-business approach that has attracted growing small businesses and several Fortune 500 companies, including Goldman Sachs.
"After these wins for the people of Dallas — and after securing 98.7% of the vote in my re-election campaign this year — I have no intention of changing my approach to my job. But today I am changing my party affiliation," Johnson wrote.
"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."
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