In yet more potentially promising, and thus much-needed, news for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterms, New Hampshire State Rep. Dale Girard, who also serves as the Mayor of Caremont, New Hampshire, announced that he was ditching Schumer’s Democratic Party and becoming a Republican.
In his post on Facebook announcing the decision, the representative noted that he always thought of himself as essentially a conservative Democrat, but that such a position became untenable due to the way in which the Democratic Party has changed in recent years, as it has become more and more radical.
In any case, Mayor Girard announced in a post on Monday, April 27, that he was switching his party affiliation to join the GOP, and that he had officially gone to city hall to do so. He said, “This morning, I went to Claremont City Hall and officially changed my party affiliation to the Republican Party.”
Continuing, he noted that he had thought about the matter for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that it was what he had to do. He said, “This decision came after a great deal of thought and consideration. I want to be clear—this is not a reflection of any issue I have with Democratic Party leadership.”
Further, he noted that he thinks the national Democratic Party’s policies and platform have shifted so much as to no longer represent what he believes. He said, “However, during my time serving as a Representative in Concord, I came to realize that my personal ideologies did not align as closely with the party as I once believed.”
Explaining what he means by that and how he sees the Democratic Party as having changed dramatically since the days when he started to support it, the representative then explained,
“Over the years, many have described me as a “Blue Dog Democrat,” a label more common in the Kennedy era than in today’s political climate.”
He further noted that his policy positions have largely stayed quite the same, but his consistent voting on issues means he’s now seen as a Republican in terms of his voting record. He explained, “My voting record over the past two years has often aligned more closely with Republican positions, and this change reflects that reality.”
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He then added that he is still the same person, despite the party affiliation change, saying, ”
That said, changing my party affiliation does not change who I am. My commitment remains the same: to represent the best interests of the City of Claremont, the Town of Croydon, and the State of New Hampshire.”
He concluded the post by saying, “This also does not affect my role as Mayor, which is a nonpartisan position. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I look forward to continuing my work in Concord and will be running as a Republican in the next election cycle, which opens in early June.”
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Featured image credit: Dale Girard Facebook