Francis Thompson, the longest-serving Democrat in the Louisiana state legislature, is dumping the Democratic Party and switching to the GOP.
The move gives Republicans a supermajority in Baton Rouge for the first time in the state’s history.
The Louisiana GOP announced that Thompson was switching parties in a press release.
Republicans celebrated Thompson giving the GOP a 70-vote supermajority.
According to Newsweek, Thompson was first elected to the state legislature as a Democrat in 1975.
The former Democrat said his decision to switch to Republican was guided by his values and principles.
He revealed that the Democrats’ agenda, on both a state and national level, conflicts with his beliefs as a Christian.
“Let me be clear—nothing has changed,” Thompson said in a statement soon after the switch.
“There are values and principles that I firmly hold onto that guide my decisions.
“My conservative voting record over my years in the Legislature speaks for itself.”
“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 continued.
During his time in office, Thompson has a history of voting with Republicans.
He has already caucused with the GOP, even before switching parties.
In December 2022, Thompson signed GOP-led legislation that exempted religious institutions from state public health orders.
The bill was later vetoed by Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.
