Florida Rep. Susan Valdes chose to betray her constituents, who elected her as a Democrat nearly a month ago, by changing her party affiliation to Republican. In the upcoming legislative session, Valdés will caucus with the GOP, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas,” Valdes wrote in a statement posted on the Bad App. “I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community.”
Florida Politics reports:
Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the House Minority Leader who also represents parts of Tampa, said in a statement that she was “surprised and disappointed” in Valdés’ decision.
“Rep. Valdés was elected by her constituents as a Democrat to fight for our shared values here in Tallahassee and has consistently and publicly shared that she feels the Republican Party does not adequately represent her constituents or beliefs,” Driskell said.
She also criticized Valdés for the timing of her announcement.
