In a move that stunned constituents, party officials, and even her own previous Republican running mates, our State Senator Dawn Marie Addiego, a longtime Republican lawmaker, flipped parties and joined the Democratic Senate Majority in our State Senate recently.

She released her decision via a Facebook post (https://www.facebook.com/8thlegislativedistrict/) that quickly caught attention.

“As gridlock in Washington dominates the news, it has become increasingly clear that in order to effect change you have to be part of the discussion and not on the outside looking in,” Sen. Addiego said, referring to the Minority Republican State Senate.  “The people of the 8th District did not elect me to be content in the role of loyal opposition.”

Referring to the national political environment, Addiego also said that her “Core values that originally drew me to the Republican Party have not changed, but the party which once echoed the vision of Ronald Reagan no longer exists. Oil drilling off our coast and taxa policy which unfairly penalizes New Jersey families are just a few examples of a National Republican Party that has lost its way.”

GOP State Senator Tom Kean released a statement condemning Addiego for tying her party switch to the national political environment. State GOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt also released a statement, saying that Addiego only switched parties to face easier re-election in 2021, as South Jersey’s Republican roots took a beating in the 2018 midterms.

Addiego shares a Republican office in Medford with two Assemblymen Joe Howarth & Ryan Peters – Peters was especially shocked by this decision, releasing a statement on his Facebook page detailing how Addiego abandoned the office and is not taking his calls. The two Assemblymen are now seeking a new office in the district, however, Howarth’s future in the coming years remains in doubt – he recently lost the support of the Burlington County Republican Committee for re-election. County Republican leaders believe Howarth tried to switch parties along with Addiego, but he was rebuffed. He’s asserted that is not the case.

It is going to be an interesting next few years in local politics.