Did the Dallas Mayor Who Switched Parties After Dems Put Him in Office—Mislead Voters? Here's What He Says
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DALLAS, TX - JUNE 16: Mayor of Dallas Eric Johnson speaks during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Announcement at the AT&T Discovery District on June 16, 2022 in Dallas, Texas.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is playing defense right now over allegations that he mislead voters in his reliably blue district. Only four months after winning re-election as a longtime Democrat, Johnson announced that he was defecting to the Republican party. Before assuming office, Johnson served nearly a decade in the Texas Legislature as a Democrat — making his decision to switch parties all the more shocking.
Calls have been growing for Johnson to resign, as County Democratic party leaders argue that he mislead voters. But in a local radio interview on Thursday, Johnson denied the allegations and said he would remain in office.
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Johnson paints a picture of Democratic Mayors that is wholly incongruent with the state of play in blue cities. New York City’s Democratic Mayor, Eric Adams, is literally a former cop. And D.C.’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has fought tooth and nail to prevent criminal justice reforms from going into effect.
He isn’t the only southern Democrat to defect to the Republican party in a dramatic fashion. In July, Georgia State Representative Mesha Mainor announced that she was switching to the Republican. Mainor, who served in a deep-blue Atlanta district, defended her decision by arguing that she was pushed out of the Democratic party. Mainor was criticized by Georgia Democrats but welcomed with open arms by folks like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who applauded her decision to move parties.
The Texas Democratic Party more or less said good-riddance to the Johnson, calling out his cozy relationship with Ted Cruz. “Given his long-standing affinity with Republican leaders and ideology — like when he cozied up with longtime podcast host Ted Cruz at his inauguration this year — this announcement is neither surprising nor unwelcome,” wrote the party.
However, they added that voters deserved to know where Johnson stood politically before re-electing him. “He wasn’t honest with his constituents, and knew he would lose to a Democrat if he flipped before the election,” they wrote. “In a city that deserves dedicated leadership, Mayor Johnson has been an ineffective and truant mayor, not only disconnected from Democratic values, but unable to even be an effective messenger for conservative local policy,”
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