Longtime El Cajon City Councilmember Gary Kendrick, previously the longest-serving Republican in San Diego County municipal office, a man who served 24 years and had a 50-year GOP registration, announced on February 9, 2026, that he was betraying his conservative base and switching sides.
The turncoat pointed to the Republican Party’s supposed shift toward “far-right radicals,” “fear-driven” ideologies, betrayal of immigrant communities, and extreme positions on immigration enforcement as reasons for the change, one which will make it even harder for Republicans in the Golden State to win.
For context, Kendrick, who won his last election with 85% of the vote, claimed to protect El Cajon residents from ICE and to run for re-election as a Democrat, making him the only one on the council. Not only did the local Democratic Party welcome the defection, but some officials also described it as part of a broader scheme.
Summarizing his motives, Gary Kendrick, El Cajon City Councilmember, claimed, “Moments of consequence call for clarity and action, which is why I am formally renouncing the Republican Party and joining the Democratic Party.”
“I’m in this fight to protect El Cajon from the far-right radicals who threaten our way of life,” the treacherous politician stated, “Together, we will restore El Cajon as a city where children walk to school without fear, where mothers seek medical care without terror, and where every family can call the police when they need help.”
Doubling down, he alleged, “As the longest-serving Republican in municipal office in San Diego County, I cannot ignore the Republican Party’s betrayal of our immigrant community, nor its disastrous impacts on the people of El Cajon.”
“I’ve been a Republican for 50 years. I just can’t stand what the Republican Party has become. I’m formally renouncing the Republican Party,” the newly minted Democrat stated, “One thing has become clear to me. The Republican Party is beyond redemption.”
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He also claimed that his new party better represents his professed values, saying that he changed his loyalties “Because I think the Democratic Party holds civil rights in high regard, and I believe in a lot of things that they believe in.”
“We’re following the law. This is kind of ironic because I think that we’ve actually stopped more ICE enforcement by signaling that we wanted to be cooperative with them than cities like San Diego,” said Bill Wells, El Cajon Mayor, also noting, “Over the last 10 years, the San Diego County Democratic Party flipped the City of La Mesa blue. El Cajon is next.”
Reacting, the San Diego Democratic Party announced the betrayal on social media. “This morning, El Cajon City Councilmember Gary Kendrick – formerly the longest-serving Republican in municipal office in San Diego County – officially changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat,” the post read.
Still not done, the Democrats alleged, “Our Party is a coalition made up of people from all walks of life, who have come from different lands, different faiths, and who have differing opinions on many things. But we are united in the fight for justice and opportunity for all.”
Concluding, the post read, “Councilmember Kendrick saw hate, and he chose love, and when he saw the cruelty of oppression, he chose to fight. We welcome him to the Democratic Party and look forward to working with him to build a better future for all people who call El Cajon and San Diego County home.”
Watch another RINO announce his decision to switch sides here: