State Rep. Shawn Thierry switches to Republican Party

HOUSTON (KIAH) — Things are shaking up in Texas politics, as State Rep. Shawn Thierry is no longer a Democrat. She announced her decision to switch to the Republican Party last week.

Thierry, who represents a part of the Houston area, was first elected to the state legislature in 2016. She lost her Democratic primary bid for reelection in a runoff against Lauren Ashley Simmons earlier this year.

Thierry ran out of favor with some Democrats when she supported a GOP bill that would remove sexually explicit books from school libraries, as well as voting for a bill that would require transgender college athletes to play on teams that aligned only with their sex at birth.

“It is undeniable that Democrats have shifted to a far-left agenda by supporting sex changes and puberty blockers for underage children,” Thierry said in a statement issued Wednesday.

“The Democrats’ economy policy is also hurting hardworking people…I no longer believe the Democrat party has earned the right to demand our votes.”

Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed Thierry into the Texas GOP with open arms. “Her decision to switch parties demonstrates that the radical leftist agenda of the Democrat Party does not align with a majority of Americans,” Abbott said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with Representative Thierry to build a bigger, better Texas for generations to come.”

Thierry attended the Moms for Liberty convention in Washington last weekend, where former President Donald Trump was the keynote speaker. “

“Shawn Thierry compromised her Democratic values, betraying the constituents of House District 146, and in response, they rightfully fired her,” Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement. “We hope that Switch-Up Shawn finds solace within a party that demonizes Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ communities given her long recorded history of berating these very communities in her district, staff office and on the Texas House floor.

“In conclusion, we’re elated that Shawn Thierry has found her true community – the hateful arms of the Republican Party of Texas.”