2nd Florida State Lawmaker Leaves Democratic Party to Join Republicans

A view of the historic Old Florida State Capitol building, which sits in front of the current New Capitol, in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 10, 2018. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

Florida state Rep. Hillary Cassel on Friday became the second Florida representative in this legislative session to switch parties from Democrat to Republican, according to an announcement she made on social media.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Cassel said: “I am announcing my decision to change my party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.

“This decision was not made lightly but comes from a deep sense of responsibility to my constituents and my commitment to the values that guide my service. I will be joining the Republican Conference of the Florida House of Representatives because I believe in their vision for a better, more prosperous Florida. As a mother, I want to help build a world where our children are judged on their character and their actions, not on their labels.”

Cassel, in part, cited what she described as the Democratic Party’s “failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism” in the Israel–Hamas conflict, also noting that she is a “proud Jewish woman.”

“I’m constantly troubled by the inability of the current Democratic Party to relate to everyday Floridians,” she said. “I can no longer remain in a party that doesn’t represent my values.”

Cassel, who took office in November 2022, represents Florida’s 101st district in the state Legislature. The district in Florida’s Broward County encompasses parts of Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, and parts of Hollywood.

In response, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Republican, said he is “proud to share” that Cassel has joined the House Republican Conference.

“Welcome to the team,” he wrote on X.

Several weeks ago, Florida state Democratic Rep. Susan Valdes announced she would switch to being a Republican.

“I love my community, and I will continue to fight every day to benefit the people of West Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the state of Florida,” she said in a Dec. 9 statement. “And in my heart, I know the best way to do that is to stand with Speaker Perez and join the Republican supermajority in the Florida House of Representatives.”

Perez also re-posted Valdes’s statement on X and welcomed her into the House. At the time, House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said she was surprised and disappointed by Valdes’s announcement.

Valdes and Cassel’s switch to the Republican Party increases the GOP’s supermajority in the state House of Representatives. Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and both branches of the Legislature since 1999.

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell has not yet commented on Cassel’s switch to the GOP, but she lamented Valdes’s decision in a statement to news outlets earlier this month.

She claimed at the time that Valdes had “elevated her own aspirations above the needs of her district” and was “elected by her constituents as a Democrat to fight for our shared values here in Tallahassee and has consistently and publicly shared that she feels the Republican Party does not adequately represent her constituents or her beliefs.”

The Epoch Times contacted Driskell’s office for comment but received no reply by publication time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.