A sheriff who has been a Democrat for over 40 years has decided to ditch his party. 

The sheriff, according to Breitbart News, is former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The outlet notes that Villanueve had been "a registered Democrat for more than 40 years." Now, however, he is becoming a Republican.

#Breaking : Today I announced ending 44 years as a registered Dem and joining the @GOP Time to make #California purple again !@realDonaldTrump @latimes #PublicSafety pic.twitter.com/3cvlOF0giL

— Alex Villanueva (@AlexVilanueva33) May 3, 2025

"After 44 years"

Villanueva announced his decision to switch parties in a message that he posted to his social media account on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

"Today I announced ending 44 years as a registered Dem and joining the @GOP Time to make #California purple again!" he wrote.

It's an admirable goal, although an extremely difficult one considering just how deep blue California has been.

Villanueva included a video of him speaking about his decision. The full video can be found above.

He, in part, says, "As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns, and joining the party of faith, family, and freedom."

A long time coming?

There were some signs, in recent years, that Villanueva may have been moving over to the political right - or, perhaps, the political left has been moving away from him, as it has been moving away from many Americans.

Your News reports:

Villanueva, who was elected sheriff in 2018 on a platform of reform, served a single term before losing re-election in 2022 to Robert Luna, former Long Beach police chief. Over the course of his tenure, Villanueva’s political stance shifted more conservative, as he publicly pushed back against elements of the Black Lives Matter movement and adopted a hardline position on crime and public safety.

Particularly noteworthy was his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outlet recalls:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Villanueva refused to enforce certain public health mandates. He notably rejected the county’s directive to close beaches for the July 4th weekend in 2020 and later declined to enforce an indoor mask mandate, citing what he said was a lack of scientific basis.

Villanueva is already being welcomed over to the other side by Republicans. The California Republican Party, for example, put out a statement, saying:

Chairwoman @corrinrankin and the entire @CAGOP welcome you to the Republican Party, @AlexVilanueva33! Californians are realizing that the @CA_Dem left them and sanity behind. You’re not alone. Choosing law and order, freedom, and common sense is the right move!