The push by Democratic leadership to support certain issues 'does not align with those values and principles that are a part of my Christian life,' he said.
On Friday, the Louisiana Republican Party announced in a press release that state representative Francis Thompson—who was first elected to the statehouse as a Democrat in 1975—had decided to switch parties, giving Republicans a 70-vote supermajority in the legislature that would allow them to override a veto by the state'sIt was little surprise to some, however, given Thompson's voting record and the fact he already caucuses with Republicans.
The Louisiana State Capitol building is pictured, with State Representative Francis Thompson shown in the inset. Thompson, a Democrat, is changing parties, giving the GOP a supermajority in the state legislature for the first time in Louisiana history."Let me clear—Nothing has changed," Thompson said in a statement following the switch."There are values and principles that I firmly hold onto that guide my decisions.
"The push the past several years by Democratic leadership on both the national and state level to support certain issues does not align with those values and principles that are a part of my Christian life," he added. While Thompson's switch gives the GOP its first supermajority in state history, veto-proof majorities were fairly common within Louisiana in the early 20th century when Democrats—then a more conservative coalition built in the South by an opposition to civil rights reforms—dominated the membership by substantial margins.
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