North Las Vegas Mayor walks away from Democrat Party citing concerns with socialism

Mayor John Lee said the switch came about because the Democrat Party has embraced socialism and no longer is the working class party he grew up with.

“They had an election recently for leadership, and four of the five people were card-carrying members of the Socialist Party. It's not the party that I grew up with 25 years ago in this environment, and it's not the party I can stand with anymore,” said Mayor Lee.

“The working class, or working men and women of this country, and also the small business owners are not a part of the conversation anymore. It all has to do with the elitists and it has to do with the socialists. That is not the agenda that I have in mind for this country of the future,” he continued.

Mayor Lee goes on to explain that with the current Democratic Party, he’s seen as a very conservative person, and he left to find a party that more correctly matches his values.

“When you're a pro-life Democrat, a pro-gun Democrat, and you're a very conservative person, that's not really well known in the Democratic Party anymore. And so for me to hang on as long as I did, hoping the party would change, it didn't, it got worse. So therefore, I found a new place that I can put my allegiance to and help. Once again, forget about the last eight years. It's the next four years that predict the future,” he said.

In an official statement released on Mayor Lee’s website, He described the drastic changes he’s witnessed within the Democratic Party.

“But like President Reagan and President Trump, I’ve seen firsthand how the Democrat Party has changed - radically, and not for the better. They’ve embraced a socialist, extremist agenda that is not the party of JFK, or of my parents. Their ideas hurt working class families, restrict freedom, and extinguish opportunity for millions of Americans,” the statement reads.

Mayor Lee called himself a “former Democrat who feels abandoned by the modern Democrat Party,” and said that “there used to be a place in the Democratic Party for conservative voices like mine.” He called upon others who feel the same to make the switch.

Lee praised the Republican Party that has emerged in the wake of Trump. He called the party a “working class party of opportunity, freedom and hope.”

“Though I’ve been a registered Democrat on paper, I made their switch in my heart long ago, because on some things, there’s simply no compromise. That’s why I voted for President Trump twice. That’s why I had an A+ rating from the NRA and their endorsement in my time in the state senate. I refuse to compromise my pro-life, pro-2nd amendment values, even though it meant losing my state senate seat,” said Lee.

Lee added that he wants others to make the switch, because to him “it means the difference between hope and despair for their children and grandchildren.”