patrick.net

Possibly a more honest answer is:
"To win in Dallas, one must be a Democrat. But I want to run for the Texas legislature when my term as Mayor is up, and to win a Texas office one must be Republican."

Here’s how Mayor Johnson explained his seismic decision in the WSJ (edited for brevity):

American cities need Republicans—and Republicans need American cities. Unfortunately, many of our cities are in disarray. Elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint. Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.

Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living. And too many local Democrats insist on virtue signaling—proposing half-baked government programs that aim to solve every single societal ill—and on finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at the state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger, more vibrant cities.

Laboratories for liberalism! I’m stealing that one. And “virtue signaling!” Nice turns of phrase.

Johnson’s shift makes him one of only two Republican mayors in the top 10 largest cities in America. Both Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, recently acquitted in his impeachment trial, welcomed Mayor Johnson to the GOP.

There’s plenty to criticize from the Mayor’s democrat past. For instance, Johnson was a big “pandemic of the unvaccinated” jab pusher during the late, great unpleasantness. But people change. And pay attention to what you don’t see. You don’t see any high-profile Republicans switching to the democrat party. What does that tell you?

ou don’t see any high-profile Republicans switching to the democrat party. What does that tell you?