(RepublicanNews.org) – Thanks to former Democrat Tricia Cotham’s defection to the GOP, North Carolina now has a veto-proof majority with Republicans in charge.
State Rep. Cotham said on April 5th that she’s leaving her political home and joining the Republican party. Her announcement was reminiscent of what other former Democrats have said: “The left left me.”
Cotham said the modern Democratic party “has become unrecognizable to me and others,” and that she “will not be controlled by anyone.”
The Democratic party in the 21st century has taken a surprisingly hard-left turn. Positions on issues such as race, gender, minority achievement, and other traditional concerns on the left have become so extreme that more moderate Democrats are questioning their allegiance to the party.
What would have been considered fringe and radical leftist opinions just five years ago are now part of the mainstream party’s platform.
But for Cotham, it was the party’s hostility to patriotism and family that pushed her to the decision. She said the number of leftists who insulted her on social media for portraying the American flag or using icons of praying hands surprised her.
She said Democrats have been “blasting me on Twitter to calling me names, coming after my family, my children. It’s not just online either. Cotham said a woman cursed at her in a store while she was shopping with her son.
Some of Cotham’s old colleagues are skeptical. House Minority Leader Robert Reives said Cotham should have given up her seat rather than switching parties. She campaigned on Democrat policy issues in a heavily Democratic district, he said, and Cotham was not the person “presented to the voters” in her district.
Republicans, however, offered a hospitable welcome. State GOP chair Michael Watley said Cotham’s defection highlights how radical the Democratic party has become.
Former North Carolina Speaker of the House Thom Tillis, now a U.S. Senator, called Cotham a “no-nonsense legislator who works hard to make a positive difference for all North Carolinians.”
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