Democratic state senator switches parties to Republican in deep blue state

A Democratic state senator is switching parties to become a Republican in the far-left state of California.

Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil had flipped the seat in the 4th Senate District from red to blue, but according to a Politico report, she's changing her political affiliation.

'I don’t tend to follow the race train. I’m looking at society as a whole.'

Alvarado-Gil has been known as a moderate Democrat who has challenged the Democratic Party on many issues, including bills related to retail theft, a growing concern in California.

She also represents a Republican-leaning district that would be difficult to defend when she comes up for re-election in 2026. About 39% of the residents in the district are registered as Republicans while only 34% are registered as Democrats, according to state records.

Politico cited two sources with direct knowledge of the decision but said Alvarado-Gil's office had not confirmed the report.

The 4th State Senate District includes the counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne. The district has about a million residents.

In comments to the Sacramento Bee, she said she was upset that Democrats were pressuring her to blindly follow and support their decrees.

“I would get asked,’ How can you side with the DAs? This is going to put more Black and brown people in jail. I don’t tend to follow the race train. I’m looking at society as a whole. I also understand that if we don’t hold people accountable for their actions, there is a domino effect," she said.

"Not only in our prisons system, our education system, our economic system, our housing system and whether or not Californians see themselves as part of communities or they are packing their bags and leaving," she added.

Alvarado-Gil's defection to the Republicans is unlikely to change legislation in the blue state as the legislature is in firm control of the Democrats.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!