The wall of the California Democrat supermajority has sprung a major leak. Democrat State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil, who has recently conflicted with the majority of her party within the legislature, is now switching her party affiliation to Republican.
Clutch the pearls. KCRA’s Ashley Zavala first broke the news.
BREAKING: California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is switching her party affiliation from Democratic to Republican.
She reps a swing district that leans Republican with parts of the Central Valley and Eastern California. https://t.co/2ENdXSUk7u
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) August 8, 2024
Democratic State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil is switching her party affiliation to Republican, multiple sources told KCRA 3, speaking on the condition they remain anonymous.
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.
The State Senate’s Republican Caucus would not comment as of Thursday afternoon.
Assembly Republicans’ rapid response staffer George Andrew reposted Zavala’s X post with this picture of former Assemblywoman (now Secretary of State) Shirley Weber and former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. This was probably taken when the supermajority initially took over the State Capitol.
Kind of based.
https://t.co/pd5HDmyAPw pic.twitter.com/oAz23UEib3
— George Andrews (@gjandrews) August 8, 2024
Alvarado-Gil spoke with California podcast host Steve Hilton to announce this switch and explain why she chose to make the leap.
WATCH:
BREAKING: California Democrat State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil has SWITCHED to the Republican Party!
“It is time for me to give up that D and to cross over to join my colleagues in Republican caucus.” pic.twitter.com/MraaSFZmU7
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) August 9, 2024
Alvarado-Gil also issued a statement to POLITICO:
Statement from Marie Alvarado-Gil on switching to the Republican Party.
“The status quo under a supermajority Democratic rule in the legislature is simply not working for this state.” #caleg pic.twitter.com/xmKvr5l9Xu
— Lara Korte (@lara_korte) August 8, 2024
“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.
“The status quo under a supermajority Democratic rule in the legislature is simply not working for this state. It is after deep reflection I announce that I will be joining the Senate Republican Caucus and the California Republican Party in their fight to Fix California.
“Since I’ve served in our State’s Capitol, I’ve had a front-row seat to witness the supermajority push California in the wrong direction, having a grave effect on our once Golden state. The Democratic Party is unrecognizable to what I once knew and 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 community supports and believes in.”
The Democrat State Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire issued a statement saying Alvarado-Gil’s party switch is “disappointing for voters.”
Statement from CA Senate’s Democratic leader @ilike_mike
“This is disappointing for voters who elected Senator Alvarado-Gil as a Democrat. They trusted her to represent them, and she’s betrayed that trust. Senate Democrats will continue to work on their behalf and deliver results…— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) August 8, 2024
“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.”
“They trusted her to represent them, and she betrayed that trust”? Excuse me?! Her district leans Republican and probably would have been won by a Republican had it not been for California’s awful jungle primaries and several Republicans canceling each other out. As her above statement attests, Alvarado-Gil considers herself a “Western Blue Dog” Democrat, which means she stands for individual liberties, supporting law enforcement, protecting the public’s safety, and that criminals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and when convicted, placed in prison, not released to commit more crimes. Alvarado-Gil actually pulled her name from public safety legislation when the Democrat supermajority tried to insert poison pills to block the passage of the reform Prop 47 initiative (now on the November ballot as Prop 36.)
I am withdrawing my co-authorship from two retail theft bills after unconsulted amendments. I stand by the #Prop47 reform initiative and voters’ rights, but I oppose the political maneuvering. #CA #California #retailtheft #Sacramento #Capitol pic.twitter.com/QkWfqAXHjW
— Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (@AlvaradoGilSD4) June 12, 2024
Underneath Alvarado-Gil’s bio photo, she wrote this sentence, which gives a window into her personality, as well as the type of legislator she strives to be: “My grandpa fought off Bull in the matador arena – now I’m fitted in boots to fight Bull in the halls of Sacramento.”
From her statement, her appearance on Hilton’s podcast, and her actions of late bucking the party orthodoxy, it seems Alvarado-Gil has had enough of the Democrat supermajority’s nonsense and “bull” and responded accordingly with this party switch. Although Democrats still hold onto their supermajority in the Senate, with 31 seats out of 40 instead of 32, the CAGOP welcomed Alvarado-Gil and seem quite excited about improving their electoral prospects.
Please join us in welcoming Senator @AlvaradoGil2026 to the California Republican Party! 🎉🐘 pic.twitter.com/8CYDLbQ9Z5
— CAGOP (@CAGOP) August 9, 2024
Senate Republican Minority leader Brian Jones also embraced Alvarado-Gil’s move across the aisle.
Welcome Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil to the Senate Republican Caucus.
It takes courage to stand up to the supermajority in California and Marie has what it takes. Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her…
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) August 9, 2024
Welcome Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil to the Senate Republican Caucus.
It takes courage to stand up to the supermajority in California and Marie has what it takes.
Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her constituents speaks for itself.
Senate Republicans are committed to addressing the real issues facing communities across the state and look forward to adding an eager spit fire like Marie to the cause.
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.
The pendulum is swinging in this great state.
If we’re going to fix California, we need pragmatic leaders like Marie who have seen firsthand the impact of the supermajority’s policies on communities and want to change it for the better.
For anyone else who might be tired of witnessing the supermajority run this state into the ground, we have a seat at our table for you, too.
However, not all Republican legislators are welcoming Alvarado-Gil with open arms.
No. She’s not welcome. We don’t need any more RINO’s in the party. We’re all stocked up.
Has she even renounced her @KamalaHarris endorsement yet? https://t.co/z4WLbvzwTg
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) August 9, 2024
It is unconfirmed whether Alvarado-Gil made an endorsement of the VP’s presidential run. A California legislator switching from Democrat to Republican is fairly unprecedented. The last time it was done was way back in 1944.
The last time a State Senator changed party affiliation D->R while in the middle of a term was almost exactly 80 years ago. Jack Tenney on September 24, 1944. https://t.co/AnwsEMBYRc pic.twitter.com/tD4KSr1ZAc
— Alex Vassar 📚 (@AlexCVassar) August 8, 2024
Essayli also questioned the sincerity of Alvarado-Gil’s statement and once again alluded to Alvarado-Gil’s endorsement of VP Kamala Harris and whether she would now rescind it.
That’s funny, I don’t recall her making a single comment critical of her party in the last two years.
Does she regret any of her liberal votes in the Senate? Does she regret endorsing @KamalaHarris two weeks ago?
Did she have an overnight revelation, or is it more likely she’s… https://t.co/C9sx5emoJB
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) August 9, 2024
That’s funny, I don’t recall her making a single comment critical of her party in the last two years.
Does she regret any of her liberal votes in the Senate?
Does she regret endorsing @KamalaHarris two weeks ago?
Did she have an overnight revelation, or is it more likely she’s desperate to get reelected in a heavily Republican seat?
There’s added reason to retain some skepticism regarding the timing of the announcement.
Totally organic that a Dem from a Central Valley/North State district who’s voted party line, endorsed Kamala, and just voted for a resolution praising Joe Biden just happened to be in LA the day that a conservative police chief filed to run against her next cycle – so she could…
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) August 9, 2024
Totally organic that a Dem from a Central Valley/North State district who’s voted party line, endorsed Kamala, and just voted for a resolution praising Joe Biden just happened to be in LA the day that a conservative police chief filed to run against her next cycle – so she could film TV interviews and announce she was changing parties by the end of the day
Alvarado-Gil is up for reelection in 2026. So, we will watch whether this portends a further erosion of the Blue wall in California or a Republican Party that becomes even more watered down than it is now.
