California Senator SWITCHES PARTIES from Democrat to Republican (Exclusive Interview)

now to an issue is exclusive this week California state Senator Marie Alvarado Gil switched parties she's going from the Democratic majority to the Republican minority with her move there are now 31 Democrats in California State Senate and nine Republicans that means Democrats do retain their super majority here's a look at her District it includes the Sierra and Central Valley for years this district has mostly voted for Republicans but reported Alvarado Gil as a Democrat when she ran in 2022 Senator Marie Alvarado Gill is here with us on the issue is for her first interview since making the switch thanks so much for being here of course thanks for having me so why switch from Democrat to Republican well first and foremost it was the right thing to do I've been a Democrat my whole adult life my first vote as an 18-year-old new voter was as a Democrat and I'll just tell you Alec the Democratic party of today is not the Democratic party that I signed up with as a new voter it has changed the pendulum has swung so far to the left that it has disengaged from what true Californians value our middle class values our families our diversity in California and frankly I just could not support an ideology over the will of the people so why did you become a democrat in the first place yeah well I was took a civics class just like many of our seniors and I was um I was listening to my duty as a uh US citizen to be able to vote and express my my voice and I was inspired I was inspired by having an impact in my local community and Statewide so what was the moment where you decided I can't do this anymore I need to be a republican that's right so you know this is not a decision that I took lightly this is definitely something that I reflected on and I prayed on and the reality is this in California we have seen the pendulum swing so far in the areas of crime homelessness and for so long in public education so before coming into office um I was an educator in charter schools and I selected that path because I knew that we were leaving too many kids behind here in California we have succumb to a a public education system that it is okay where kids don't read and write by third grade that we have to actually have statewide goals we have not made made even a dent in public education to say that we can even be in the top 10 of the US now for me it really is about looking at where we are right now the super majority has the power in both the executive branch and the legislature but what I'm missing is that will to change that will to ensure that Californians across our state are taken care of you know uh there clearly are many of your constituents who voted for you as a Democrat they're you to serve out your term as a Democrat what do you say to them well you know my constituents first and foremost uh were part of this decision that I made um I've been listening to them for the past two years serving uh my district that is predominantly a republican District I've been serving as a representative of the values of our district and a representative of what means the most to our constituents whether they're Democrats Republicans are no party preference now for me I came in as a beneficiary of the open primaries so this was a seat that has not been held by a democrat in over 30 years and in the general it was a Democrat ond Democrat race now I came in as a moderate I've always held moderate values and I've swung a little bit moderate right so now seeing how the inner workings of the majority party work in Sacramento I have to step back and say is this good not only for my constituents but is this good for Californians and my answer is no what was the biggest surprise about the way it actually works inside that maybe you didn't think until you got there right well you would think with a super majority there would be more ideas and more impact and more influence on the decisions that were being made but the reality is is there is a select few within that super majority that makes those decisions and we saw it play out with the Prop 47 initiative you remember that Alec yeah so The Prop 47 of course this effort on whether to reform it Prop 47 which basically decriminalized a lot of different bills uh many years ago that's right including um adding to the retail theft problem that we have here in California so we have looked at this for for years we knew it was a problem we knew it was an escalating problem but you have to ask yourself why does the super majority take a position only in election years because if we know it's a problem and the super majority has the ability to impact change why not do that for the good of Californians so what we saw was an initiative of the district attorney organizing with our sheriffs across California and saying enough's enough we're going to bring a ballot initiative forward and take it to the voters and we know what the voters are saying is enough crime has increased in our communities homelessness has increased in our communities and this is all under the Democratic super majority so we have to identify that there's a problem there and that's prop 36 is going to be on the ballot in November you're supporting that I'm guessing absolutely as a matter of fact I was one of the first legislators uh the first Democrat to withdraw my name from a bill package that uh was accompanied by a poison pill is what we call it which is essentially eliminates the the power to be able to implement some of these regulations so essentially we as legislators have that ability to implement uh laws but this was actually poisoned by a very small few within the super majority and I said absolutely not I would not put my name on that I and I would not bring that to my constituents you there's an argument that being in the majority gives you more leverage and more power and that you actually cannot serve your constituencies as effectively being in the minority what do you say to that so this is this is my belief Alec that we are elected to serve our district whether we are Democrat Republican a no party preference my district has all different uh party affiliations because I was a Democrat did not mean that I can only serve and represent Democrats that is not what democracy is about so I have taken the position of true representation um by moving from the Democratic party to the Republican party I am sending a message I am sending a message to every Democrat who is wondering what has happened to the Democratic party of today and do my values align with the Democratic platform of today and if the answer is no Alec it takes courage to step away from what you have known right and so for me this is a courageous step in the right direction as a true representative of California and the values that lead us here in California this is Alex Michaelson on the issue as we are talking with Senator Marie Alvarado Gil uh Senator you had to talk to the Democrats about this so Mike Maguire is the leader for the Democrats he's the Senate President proem we have a picture of you with him you've worked with him closely in the past uh but we have a statement from him in terms of his response he says quote this is disappointing to voters who elected senator Alvarado Gill as a Democrat they trusted her to represent them and then she betrayed that trust Senate Democrats continue to work on their behalf and deliver results for Rural California can you take us inside the room what was it like when you told Senator Maguire I'm leaving the party right so you know this this for me is uh it was a personal decision and I took that personal decision uh to the proem um as a courtesy to say this is where I am this is where my district is and frankly I need to step ahead in what people like me here in California we are thinking this already we know that the Democratic party doesn't rep represent us and for me this is that courageous step to say it is time to make this change now Alec this has never been done before so we didn't have a precedent to be able to say this is the right way to do it um but what I did know what I did was follow my values follow what I know was right for California and whether that means that I would get pulled off committees as you know I'm a chair of Human Services um more than likely come Monday I will not have that position um there may be some other repercussions we know that there is a a punitive element to leaving the super majority but I'll tell you I have a lot of respect for Senator uh Maguire for protim Maguire because he has led the party to his best of his abilities and I've seen him over the DEA over the decades that he has LED and understand that you you know he may be disappointed but the sense of betrayal that's where I disagree was was he angry was he surprised what was the reaction from him you know it was a it was a cordial conversation um this element of of betrayal you know I want to speak a little bit to that because in essence there is a deep betrayal in the majority party and I don't know if you knew this Alex but we have these great Affinity caucuses one is the Latino caucus that endorsed me to run for this position but did you know that if you're a Republican or even an independent you cannot serve as a leader or even be a member of that Latino caucus and this has been uh this has happened for years we have tolerated this that we have caucuses and committees that only represent the super majority well that's not all of Californians and that's certainly not the values that we say everyone in California have I'm sure was a more pleasant conversation with Senator Brian Jones who is the top Republican in the California Senate we've got an image of you and him in the past working together because you're such a moderate you've worked with both leaders in the past Senator Jones put out a long statement on X the end of it was this were anyone else who might be tired of witnessing the super majority ruin this state run the state to the ground we have a seat at the table for you too what was that conversation like when he went in and talked to him yeah I have a lot of respect for Senator Jones um you know he did counsel me to make sure sure that this was the right decision for me he knew it's the right decision for California um but you know again this hasn't been done before so for me I'm very excited to join his caucus we are the minority caucus but there is a clear plan on fixing California and there is there is that tenacity that will to fix California so we may not be the majority but we definitely have the solutions that will take us into the areas of fixing California um have any of your other democratic colleagues thought to do something similar yeah well um you know I'm not going to speak for them but I'll tell you there are Democrats that think the way that I do um either moderate or Center leaning Democrats and there may be some decisions that they need to make in terms of their own values and the direction that they see California going because ultimately this is a position of public service and this is about serving our constituents serving California in a way that helps the future of California not as person personally not the special interest and Sacramento is overthrown by special interest now and so I hope that my colleagues will take this as a sign as a message that it is okay to step out of the status quo and do what's right for California because as leaders that is ultimately what we were elected to do so you're not on the ballot this year you're next up in 2026 are you going to run for re-election as a republican I am going to stay a republican um until I am put in the ground I am committed to this um you know I I talked to my husband about this last week and he says you know I've never been married to a Republican and so I said and you're never going to be divorced from a republican either so you know we have some fun with it but you know the reality of this Alec is this is a commitment um I am fully um prepared to jump into that commitment and as of this week um I've been welcomed by my colleagues in the Senate and in the assembly um committees throughout my district and I'm just excited to kick this off and obviously this happens in the midst of a crazy presidential race a crazy presidential week that's right uh Harris vers Trump who are you supporting well you know that's the question of the day right so for me I'm going to be watching both of our candidates very closely between now and the election and for me I'm really looking at someone who can embrace the diversity of our country and lead us into the Next Generation oh we know so much about both of them who who is that at this point well you got see what I have on the ballot I'll see you in November we can have that on the ballot it's going to be Harris versus Trump we'll see we'll see which which box I Mark but I'll be back to talk to you Al although we don't know who we don't know maybe what will be at the Bal because we thought it was going to be Biden versus Trump so tell you CH to your point things Chang we thought you were a Democrat last week so you never know I guess that's that's true all right we're going to end with something fun here on the show we play something called personal issues this is 30 seconds to get to know you your cultural favorites uh first thing that comes to mind uh here we go uh what is your favorite TV show TV show um Big Bang Theory favorite movie movie The Godfather favorite musical artist a musical artist you know I like musicals so when you said that Sound of Music came to mind for me but that's not an artist okay we go with Julie Andrew okay there go favorite sports team oh you know gosh Bay Area fans are going to come at me but I'm a Raiders fan and I'm sorry they left California but everyone's leaving California yep yep well not everybody uh who is your and who is your role model uh my role model is my grandmother why is that my grandmother raised me um I was uh very young when I was separated from my parents and she took me in and she um introduced me to community um to the church and she also taught me what it meant to be a very strong entrepreneurial woman and it is her that I um you know I I dedicate um my success in life um and you know I talk to her still now that she has passed but she is definitely still part of me what do you think she would think of you becoming a republican oh she would say she would say you know my my daughter MAA I'm very proud of you all right Senator we'll leave it there thank you so much great talking with us we'll have a different view from the Democratic perspective when we come back you're watching the issue is