Democratic State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil is switching her party affiliation to Republican.It’s the first time in 80 years that a Democratic state lawmaker has switched their affiliation to Republican in the middle of their term, according to the California State Library. “Since my first day in office, I have put the interests of my constituents first. I was elected to serve the public, not a political ideology,” said Alvarado-Gil in a statement on Thursday night. Alvarado-Gil represents Senate District 4, which encompasses parts of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties. She was first elected to her seat in the state senate in 2022 and is up for reelection in 2026.Democrats will still hold onto their supermajority in the Senate, with 31 seats instead of 32 out of 40.Alvarado-Gil said she has had a front row seat at the state capitol to “witness the supermajority push California in the wrong direction.” She called the Democratic Party “unrecognizable” and said it “lacks the will to fix the problems plaguing this state.””I cannot stand by a party that ignores the will of the people and disregards the core American values that my very community supports and believes in,” she said. “It’s no secret that California’s political landscape is heavily weighted to the left, but with increasing attention on issues worsened by Democrat policies, we can continue making strides in our fight,” said State Senate Republican Minority Leader, Brian Jones. “The pendulum is swinging in this great state.”Two sources who provided the information on the condition they remain anonymous said Democratic state senators were called into an emergency caucus meeting late Thursday afternoon that was related to Alvarado-Gil’s party affiliation change.”This is disappointing for voters who elected Senator Alvarado-Gil as a Democrat,” said California’s Democratic State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire in a statement. “They trusted her to represent them, and she’s betrayed that trust. Senate Democrats will continue to work on their behalf and deliver results for rural California. One silver lining is MAGA Republicans are gaining a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ rights, anti-Trump colleague. We wish her the best of luck.” Alvarado-Gil has been known as a moderate Democrat, and this year has bucked party leadership on issues related to public safety. She was the only Democratic state senator to announce she would remove her name and support from bills that leadership tried using to negotiate a crime measure off of the November ballot. State records show voter registration in Alvarado-Gil’s district leans Republican, with 34% of voters registered as Democrats and 39% Republican. Gil’s district was held by a long-time Republican leader, Jim Nielsen. He served in the Senate from 2013 to 2022. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
Democratic State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil is switching her party affiliation to Republican.
It’s the first time in 80 years that a Democratic state lawmaker has switched their affiliation to Republican in the middle of their term, according to the California State Library.
“Since my first day in office, I have put the interests of my constituents first. I was elected to serve the public, not a political ideology,” said Alvarado-Gil in a statement on Thursday night.
Alvarado-Gil represents Senate District 4, which encompasses parts of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties. She was first elected to her seat in the state senate in 2022 and is up for reelection in 2026.
Democrats will still hold onto their supermajority in the Senate, with 31 seats instead of 32 out of 40.
Alvarado-Gil said she has had a front row seat at the state capitol to “witness the supermajority push California in the wrong direction.” She called the Democratic Party “unrecognizable” and said it “lacks the will to fix the problems plaguing this state.”
“I cannot stand by a party that ignores the will of the people and disregards the core American values that my very community supports and believes in,” she said.
“It’s no secret that California’s political landscape is heavily weighted to the left, but with increasing attention on issues worsened by Democrat policies, we can continue making strides in our fight,” said State Senate Republican Minority Leader, Brian Jones. “The pendulum is swinging in this great state.”
Two sources who provided the information on the condition they remain anonymous said Democratic state senators were called into an emergency caucus meeting late Thursday afternoon that was related to Alvarado-Gil’s party affiliation change.
“This is disappointing for voters who elected Senator Alvarado-Gil as a Democrat,” said California’s Democratic State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire in a statement. “They trusted her to represent them, and she’s betrayed that trust. Senate Democrats will continue to work on their behalf and deliver results for rural California. One silver lining is MAGA Republicans are gaining a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ rights, anti-Trump colleague. We wish her the best of luck.”
Alvarado-Gil has been known as a moderate Democrat, and this year has bucked party leadership on issues related to public safety. She was the only Democratic state senator to announce she would remove her name and support from bills that leadership tried using to negotiate a crime measure off of the November ballot.
State records show voter registration in Alvarado-Gil’s district leans Republican, with 34% of voters registered as Democrats and 39% Republican.
Gil’s district was held by a long-time Republican leader, Jim Nielsen. He served in the Senate from 2013 to 2022.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
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