Former Republican member of Congress Joe Walsh announced on Tuesday that he’s changing his affiliation to Democrat, after spending the last five years as a political independent. Walsh left the Republican Party in 2020. Walsh made the announcement in a Substack post, stating that he decided to make the switch because he believes the current GOP is a threat to democracy and the rule of law.
Walsh also stated that defeating this so-called threat to the American way of life would require a “broad coalition of moderates, progressives, and yes, even conservatives.” Later in the post, Walsh wrote, “Three words I never thought I’d ever utter: I’m a Democrat. This former Republican Congressman, former Republican candidate for President, this former TEA Party champion is formally joining the Democratic Party. The stakes are simply too high to NOT become a Democrat.”
“Let’s start with the obvious—a tyrant sits in the White House. The very thing our Founders feared most is here. Throw in the fact that one of our two major political parties is a real and direct threat to democracy and the rule of law. These are unprecedented, dangerous times in America. I know it. You know it. There are even Republicans who know it,” he added.
Walsh attempted to challenge President Trump for the Republican Party nomination during the 2020 election, but decided to jump out of the race after he did poorly in the Iowa caucuses. Not long after his massive defeat, the former congressman bolted from the GOP and began building his career on bashing his former party, making Trump his favorite target. He then endorsed former President Joe Biden in that year’s election cycle.
For the last five years, Walsh has been politically unaffiliated. However, The Hill is reporting that in his Substack article he informed critics of the president who are holding on to hope for a third-party they are misguided. “Without freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, America ceases to be. And currently, only the Democratic Party is on the side of all three of these core American values,” he said.
“There isn’t a third party coming to the rescue any time soon,” Walsh wrote. “Right now, the Democratic Party is democracy’s lone defender and best hope.” The newly-minted Democrat admitted there are some serious issues with the Democratic Party, however, “for democracy and the rule of law to persevere, Democrats must succeed,” which he says means that Democrats need to transform into a “big tent” party while learning tactics to combat Trump and his party.
“Take it from a former Republican fighter,” the post continued. “Republicans fight to the death to win politically, and they’ve always believed Democrats won’t. I’ve been a fighter my whole life, and if there’s ever been a moment when Americans are crying out for a Democratic Party with some fight, it’s now.” Walsh stated that in order to stop the GOP dead in their tracks, the Democratic Party would need to provide a home for people like him and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to co-exist.
"*" indicates required fields
“And look, here’s the thing. We’re gonna need a HUGE tent to defeat this Republican Party. … We’re gonna need a Democratic tent big enough to hold both a conservative like Joe Walsh and a progressive like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. I want to help build that big tent because I want to win, and … Trump’s Republican Party must lose,” the former Republican said.
Walsh then clarified that he still holds to a number of conservative positions, particularly when it comes to gun rights, the border, and free speech, though he said he’s not the same person he was 15 years ago when it comes to other issues. “I’ve opened my eyes and listened to people who don’t think like me,” his post read. “And by doing so, I gained a greater understanding of and appreciation for LGBTQ issues, structural racism, the need for empathetic immigration reform, the dangers of climate change, and the role government must play to help care for the neediest and most vulnerable among us.”
The post concluded with a final parting shot at President Trump, saying, “Donald Trump is the worst of us, and, sadly, the rest of the Republican Party emulates his cruelty, dishonesty, and authoritarianism. We’re better than what we’ve seen every day these past four months. America is better than this. As a former Republican, I know that cruelty sells. Well, it’s time for decency to sell.”
Featured image: Screenshot from embedded video