A Louisiana state representative made history after leaving the Democratic Party to transfer to the GOP.
Recently, longtime Democrat Representative Francis Thompson declared switching of parties and gave the GOP its first supermajority in both governing bodies.
The ex-Democrat who had served Northeast Louisiana for fifty years reportedly changed his party registration to Republican on Friday, sparking new controversy under the Biden administration.
The 81-year-old lawmaker’s recent decision has made him the 70th Republican member of the state House.
Following his decision, Thompson released an official statement, claiming that the current Democratic leadership no longer matches his morals and values as a practitioner of the Christian faith.
“The push the past several years by Democratic leadership on both the national and state level to support certain issues does not align with those values and principles that are part of my Christian life,” Thompson said in the statement.
The ex-Democrat’s move came after he joined Republicans in calling for a veto override session in 2021 regarding the bill that provided more transparency to parents on the materials that their kids are being taught.
In an exclusive report published by Red State, it was revealed that “the vote on Senate Bill 156, two shy of the 70 needed, was a blow to Republican leaders, who called the first-ever veto override session with the goal of overriding the Democratic governor’s vetoes on the transgender bill and a permitless concealed carry gun bill, which failed to get enough votes for an override in the state Senate.”
“Senate President Page Cortez told his Senate members that overriding a governor’s veto was intentionally set high. The Senate voted to override the transgender sports bill, but the House did not. “That’s the process,” Cortez added as senators collected their belongings,” the report added.
Moreover, CNN also reported another version of the said bill, banning “transgender women and girls” in athletics at the time
“Louisiana banned transgender women and girls from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender at all public and some private elementary and secondary schools and colleges on Monday after the state’s Democratic governor declined to take executive action on the controversial measure,” the report reads.
“Gov. John Bel Edwards’ decision not to veto or directly approve SB 44 means that his state’s Republican-led legislature succeeded in passing the ban nearly a year after the governor had killed a similar version of the legislation last June, calling it discriminatory. Per state law, the governor needed to take direct action on the legislation before Monday in order to have a say in its fate,” it added.