Popular former LA County Sheriff has ditched the party of “paid protests, Purple Hair, and Pronouns” for common sense. Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva was a registered Democrat for over four decades, and the first to unseat an incumbent for over 100 years.
In a fiery social media post, he recently announced his change of allegiance from being a registered Democrat for 44 years, to joining the Republican Party.
“Today I announced ending 44 years as a registered Dem and joining the [GOP] Time to make [California] purple again!” former Sheriff Villanueva posted on X.
As to why he ditched the left, Villanueva said he was tired of the same antics that seemingly do not accomplish anything other than perpetuate identity politics, for something more concrete.
“As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns. And I’m joining the party of faith, family, and freedom — the Republican Party,” he said.
Villanueva’s journey toward common sense started when he decided to clean homelessness on Boardwalk street. While it took longer than anticipated, he worked with Saint Joseph Center and conducted outreach programs to make the city beautiful again.
However, homelessness and drug abuse are the bane of the Democrats, and Villanueva learned that very quickly. A concerted smear campaign by the far-left LA County Board of Supervisors ultimately led him to lose his seat against the incumbent Sheriff Robert Luna in 2022.
During his re-election campaign, Villanueva had also endorsed a Republican California Attorney General candidate, Nathan Hochman, who was George W. Bush’s assistant Attorney General in 2008, despite claiming that he was a “proud Democrat.”
“I’m a supporter of Nathan’s because it’s time we get serious about reducing crime, ending homelessness, and holding those in power accountable when they abuse that power or engage in corruption,” said Villanueva. “I want a partner at the state attorney general’s office … that will actually hold criminals accountable.”
During the campaign, Hochman praised Sheriff Villanueva as a great friend of law enforcement, which he promised not to defund.
“I’m not going to defund the police. I will provide more funds to the police so that they can do a better job, and I will treat them as partners in the solutions, rather than as enemies and part of the problem,” Hochman said.
However, he ultimately lost to the incumbent Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is currently investigating Villanueva, on accusations of discouraging legitimate oversight and retaliating against public officials who opposed him.
Currently, Hochman serves as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County, having run as an independent candidate and unseated Democrat George Gascón.
Meanwhile, Villanueva’s decampment was received with open arms by California Republicans, including some who were themselves former Democrats.
“[Alex Villanueva], you are not alone. Many classic liberals have noticed that [the California Democratic Party] has lost their way, and that they champion crime and criminals. You don’t *need* to be a Republican to vote for sanity, but it helps,” said Roxanne Hoge, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles.
California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin, who also decamped from the “party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns,” also welcomed Villanueva.
“I left the [Democratic] Party when I saw it no longer stood for the values I was raised with: personal responsibility, public safety, and freedom. [Alex Villanueva] made the same call. It takes courage, but it’s the right move. Welcome to our movement to restore common sense!” Rankin X’ed.
While Republicans are still a minority in the Golden State, former Sheriff Villanueva’s defection adds to a growing momentum of Democrats coming to their senses.
In April, Rutgers law professor Gary Francione also decamped from the Democratic Party after it insinuated that the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which aims to keep biological men out of women’s sports and bathrooms, empowers child sex predators.
“In light of the irresponsible and unhinged comments of @AOC, @RepJayapal, @RepJerryNadler and others concerning the bill to keep males out of girls’/women’s sports, and the 206 Democratic votes against the bill, I have, after decades as a Democrat, registered as an Independent,” he tweeted.
