Texas State Rep. Shawn Thierry Switches To GOP After Losing Democratic Primary

A Texas state lawmaker who lost in the Democratic primary after supporting anti-transgender bills announced Friday that she is switching to the Republican Party.

State Rep. Shawn Thierry of Houston said in a statement that she is switching parties because the Democratic Party “has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support.”

Thierry was ousted in a primary runoff in May after she sided with Republican-backed bills targeting the transgender community. Thierry voted in favor of a measure banning gender-affirming care for minors and another requiring trans college athletes to play on teams aligned with their sex assigned at birth.

The Texas ACLU called the banning of transgender athletes in sports “unfair, unconstitutional, and just plain cruel,” after Republican Gov. Gregg Abbot signed the bill into law in June.

Thierry’s term will expire before the legislature comes back for its next session in January.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer told the Texas Tribune in a statement that Thierry has “chosen to continue to betray the values and priorities of her constituents.”

“If Thierry looks at a party taking away the freedom for women to control their bodies, cutting healthcare for millions, and led by a racist, petty convict and says I want in on that mess, I think that says more about Shawn Thierry than about the Democratic Party,” Martinez Fischer said. “Adios.”