Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that he was leaving the Democratic Party, with whom he has been a registered voter for more than 40 years, and joining the Republican Party.
“As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns, and joining the party of faith, family, and freedom,” Villanueva said during a recent speaking event.
Villanueva, who was elected to serve as the sheriff of Los Angeles County in 2018 before ultimately losing his re-election campaign to former Long Beach police chief Robert Luna in November 2022. Villanueva ran as a reform candidate and bucked his own party on a number of key issues during his tenure, including the implementation of a number of tough-on-crime policies and a rebuke of the Black Lives Matter riots.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Villanueva refused to comply with local officials in closing public beaches during the July 4 holiday weekend. In July 2021, Villanueva also stated that he would not use the department’s “limited resources” to enforce a mask mandate, noting that it was “not backed by science,” Breitbart News reported at the time.
“Forcing the vaccinated and those who already contracted COVID-19 to wear masks indoors is not backed by science and contradicts the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines,” the sheriff said in response to critics.
#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
Villanueva joins a growing trend of disaffected California Democrats leaving the party over the past year.
Back in August, State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil of Jackson left the party and switched her party registration to Republican. As a result, Democrats retaliated by stripping her of all committee assignments and removed her from the state Latino caucus.
“How far will the Democrats go because they’re angry?” the senator asked at the time “I can take whatever heat is coming my way and fully recognize it comes with the territory of leaving a supermajority that operates like a mob. They can attack me all they want, but the people of California do not deserve to suffer because of political vendettas.”
A month later, former State Senate leader Gloria Romero, who was once viewed as a top candidate for higher office, also announced her decision to join the Republican Party.
“I was a Democratic convention delegate for the Reverend Jesse Jackson and President Barack Obama at three different conventions. I was California co-chair for the re-election of President Obama,” Romero wrote when announcing her decision.
“Today, I say goodbye, adios, I’ve had enough. I am now another near lifelong Democrat who is joining the growing number of people—including key groups, Latinos— who are leaving the Democratic Party,” she continued. “This is not the Democratic Party that I once championed, I don’t recognize it anymore and I cannot continue.”
She went on to credit President Donald Trump for her decision, calling him “the champion of working people.”
