Jay Block, a Senator from New Mexico, said that Democrats are pursuing destructive policies and lack leadership. His comments followed the decision of a New Jersey mayor to switch to the Republican Party. The statement was made on X.
"Because they are crazy. Easy decision," said Jay C Block, New Mexico State Senator from 12th District (R). "They defend violent crime rates and refuse help, think men should compete with girls in sports and share showers/locker rooms. They want open borders, they hate the first amendment, they use lawfare against their political opponents. Good luck in 2026/8/30/and beyond unless you clean house in your party and take off the crazy straightjacket."
Everett E. Garnto Jr., the mayor of Garfield, New Jersey, announced on September 4, 2025, his departure from the Democratic Party to join the Republicans. He also endorsed GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli. According to Garnto, his decision stemmed from dissatisfaction with state Democratic leadership. This move underscores how local officials in New Jersey and beyond are reshaping political alignments ahead of the 2025 elections, as reported by New Jersey Globe.
Ballotpedia has documented that since 1994, 191 state legislators across the United States have switched party affiliation, with 91 moving from Democrat to Republican and only 25 going from Republican to Democrat. The remaining switches involved third parties or independents, reflecting smaller but notable shifts in state politics. These figures demonstrate that Democratic-to-Republican switches have historically been more common at the state level.
Among the 100 largest U.S. cities, mayoral partisanship has shown stability over the past decade, with Democrats consistently leading. As of 2025, about 65 of these cities have Democratic mayors compared to roughly 30 with Republican mayors, with independents making up the rest. Ballotpedia notes that this trend has remained steady since 2016, suggesting limited partisan volatility at the municipal executive level.
Block is a Republican state senator representing New Mexico’s 12th District, first elected in 2024 and taking office in 2025. A retired U.S. Air Force nuclear weapons officer with over two decades of service, he previously served as a Sandoval County commissioner and ran for governor in 2022. His legislative work includes serving on the Senate Rules and Health & Public Affairs Committees, according to the New Mexico Legislature.
