Texas state representative Shawn Thierry announced on Friday that she is leaving the Democratic Party for the GOP, saying she cannot, “in good conscience,” support her former party’s commitment to transgenderism.
The lifelong Houston Democrat made the switch after she lost the Democratic primary runoff to LGBTQ+ activist Lauren Ashley Simmons in May. Prior to her defeat, Thierry supported a slate of GOP-sponsored bills opposed by the LGBTQ+ community — legislation that barred gender transitions for minors and required transgender athletes to play on college sports teams that match their biological sex.
As she nears the end of her term, Thierry will serve her remaining four months in office as a Republican.
“The Democratic Party has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies I cannot, in good conscience, support — policies like promoting sex changes for vulnerable children and dismantling Title IX protections for women in sports,” Thierry said in a press release posted on X.
“That’s why I am leaving the left and joining the party of family, faith, and freedom,” she added. “I now stand with colleagues, friends, neighbors, women, and mothers in the Republican Party.”
Thierry gained notoriety among her ranks last year when she voiced opposition to gender-transition surgeries and treatment for minors in an emotional speech on the Texas house floor. She also backed a bill designed to remove sexually explicit materials from school libraries, which its detractors feared would target LGBTQ+ books.
As a practicing Baptist with deep religious convictions, Thierry could not stand idly by while Democrats stood against common-sense policies.
“I have witnessed firsthand how the left stifles thoughtful debate, silences dissent, and demands blind allegiance to an ideology that is anti-family and anti-children,” she said. “If you question, or disagree, they will cancel you. This is why so many former Democrats plan to vote Republican in November.”
The newly minted Republican lawmaker reiterated her announcement at a Moms for Liberty event on Friday in Washington, D.C.
She joins the likes of Dallas mayor Eric Johnson, who became a Republican last year after advocating for law enforcement and low property taxes, and other once-lifelong Texas Democrats.
With Thierry’s defection taken into account, the partisan makeup in the state house now stands at 87 Republicans and 63 Democrats, according to the Texas Tribune. Her seat will likely be taken by Simmons, who is heavily favored to win the Houston-based district in November.
While Texas Democrats criticized Thierry for betraying “the values and priorities of her constituents” in Houston, as state representative Trey Martinez Fischer said, Texas Republicans welcomed her with open arms, chief among them being Governor Greg Abbott.
“Today, I am proud to welcome Representative Shawn Thierry to the Republican Party — the party of opportunity, individual liberty, and economic prosperity,” Abbott said. “Her decision to switch parties demonstrates that the radical leftist agenda of the Democrat Party does not align with a majority of Americans. I look forward to continuing to work with Representative Thierry to build a bigger, better Texas for generations to come.”
On the national stage, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard are two of the most prominent former Democrats to throw their support behind former president Donald Trump this election cycle. Kennedy left the Democratic Party last October to launch his independent presidential bid, which he suspended last week in favor of Trump. Gabbard became an independent in October 2022 and endorsed Trump for president earlier this week.