Dallas mayor who switched from Democrat to Republican says GOP can make gains in cities
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson made headlines in September of last year when he left the Democratic Party and registered as a Republican.
Although his move blindsided many on the left, Johnson says that Democrats should expect more defections.
Mayor: "Donald Trump has given the Republican Party a gift"
According to the Washington Examiner, Dallas' mayor made that assertion during a recent appearance on Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
On Fox & Friends @Johnson4Dallas discussed how @GOP mayors across the country are excited to work with @realDonaldTrump to deliver on the promise of making our cities great again. pic.twitter.com/BsMaQuJbNg
— Republican Mayors Association (@GOPMayorsAssn) November 20, 2024
"Donald Trump won more votes in our urban areas than any Republican has in God knows how long, and that is because they really believed in what he said on the campaign trail, that we can actually do this, and that the Republican Party shouldn’t give up on our cities," Johnson explained.
"Donald Trump has given the Republican Party a gift, and that gift is he has caused parts of the Democratic coalition that people thought would never, ever consider voting Republican to do exactly that," the mayor continued. .
Much of Trump's gains were made among minority voters
Johnson stressed that Republicans should center their agenda "around making our cities safe again, supporting our police departments, funding them adequately" and need "to focus on creating more opportunity, economic opportunity."
"All the things that people have been asking for for generations from our cities that have been under Democratic leadership that have failed to deliver on those things," he insisted.
A significant share of that gain was found in major urban areas as well as among African American and Hispanic voters.
Johnson says he was "a canary in the coal mine"
Johnson thus suggested that his decision to leave the Democratic Party made him something of "a canary in the coal mine."
"I didn't think I was going to be some anomaly that everyone needed to worry about. I thought that I was going to be a harbinger of things to come," he declared.
Johnson went on to denounce Democratic policies which he said "exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals, and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living."
In contrast, Republicans have an opportunity "to double down on his [Trump’s] message, which is primarily in our cities, which is where 80% of our American population resides and where a large percent of our ethnic minorities live."
