Dallas Mayor Leaves Democratic Party, Says Cities ‘Need’ Republicans
- Johnson cites commitment to law and order, fiscal issues
- Dallas one of 10 biggest US cities with 1.3 million people
Eric Johnson.
Photographer: Tony Gutierrez/APThis article is for subscribers only.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said he’s leaving the Democratic party to become a Republican, citing his commitment to law and order and fiscal conservatism and bucking a local shift away from the GOP.
“Local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,” Johnson wrote in a column in the Wall Street Journal. “Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.”