Screenshot: Elex Michaelson/X
California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil has switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, making her the first sitting California State Senator to do so in the middle of a term.
Elected in 2022 as a Democrat, Alvarado-Gil now plans to run for re-election in 2026 as a Republican, representing a district primarily made up of conservative voters in California’s Sierra and Central Valley regions.
Alvarado-Gil’s decision comes after what she describes as deep disillusionment with the direction the Democrat Party has taken in recent years. I
In her first interview since the switch, she told ‘The Issue Is’ host Elex Michaelson that the party has moved too far to the left, abandoning the middle-class values and diversity that she believes are central to the Californian identity.
“I’ve been a Democrat my whole adult life. My first vote as an 18-year-old new voter was as a Democrat,” said Alvarado-Gil.
“The Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that I signed up with as a new voter. It has changed. The pendulum has swung so far to the left that it has disengaged from what true Californians value—our middle-class values, our families, our diversity in California. Frankly, I just could not support an ideology over the will of the people.”
Alvarado-Gil’s decision comes after years of observing increasing crime rates, homelessness, and failures in public education—a reality she feels is directly linked to the policies enacted by the Democrat supermajority in California.
“The reality is this: In California, we have seen the pendulum swing so far in the areas of crime, homelessness, and for so long in public education. Before coming into office, I was an educator in charter schools, and I selected that path because I knew that we were leaving too many kids behind here in California.”
Drawing on her background as an educator in charter schools, she passionately argued that California’s public education system has failed to provide basic literacy skills for children by third grade.
“We have succumbed to a public education system where it is okay for kids not to read and write by third grade, where we have to actually have statewide goals. We have not made even a dent in public education to say that we can even be in the top 10 in the US.”
“Now, for me, it really is about looking at where we are right now. The super-majority has the power in both the executive branch and the legislature. But what I’m missing is that will to change, that will to ensure that Californians across our state are taken care of,” she said.
Alvarado-Gil also shed light on the inner workings of the Democratic supermajority, revealing how decisions are often made by a select few rather than through collaborative dialogue. She pointed to Proposition 47, which decriminalized various offenses and contributed to rising crime rates in California.
“You would think with the supermajority, there would be more ideas and more impact and more influence on the decisions that were being made. But the reality is, there is a select few within that supermajority that make those decisions.”
She made it clear that her primary duty is to serve all her constituents, regardless of their political affiliation.
“So this is my belief… we are elected to serve our district, whether we are a Democrat, Republican, or no party preference. My district has all different party affiliations. Because I was a Democrat did not mean that I can only serve and represent Democrats. That is not what democracy is about.”
“I have taken the position of true representation. By moving from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, I am sending a message. I am sending a message to every Democrat who is wondering what has happened to the Democratic Party of today, and do my values align with the Democratic platform of today? And if the answer is no, it takes courage to step away from what you have known, right? And so for me, this is a courageous step in the right direction as a true representative of California and the values that lead us here in California.”
Video via Elex Michaelson:
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