Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has announced the creation of a "Republican Mayors Association." Earlier this year, the longtime Democrat was reelected in a majority Democratic city — and declared himself a Republican a few months later.
Johnson says he hopes to build a “network of like-minded mayors” who will learn from each other and share best practices to “lead our cities to a brighter future.”
“Democrats occupy the mayor’s office in the overwhelming majority of our country’s largest urban areas and have for decades,”a statement on the group’s website said. “Enough is enough.”
The statement goes on to say that “America needs its cities and towns to be great.” The group suggests that its Republican elected officials that will lead that charge.
Johnson said in September that he would “leave office as a Republican” at the end of his term in 2027.He was reelected in May.
His party switch has been called “selfish and cynical” by Dallas-based Democrats.
“He knowingly portrayed himself as a lifelong Democratic voter and representative throughout his re-election campaign for mayor. Now, less than four months after being re-elected to his final term in office, he has declared that he will govern the city as a Republican,” a statement from the Dallas County Democratic Party said in September.
The party also called on Johnson to resign from his position.
“[Johnson] is joining a part, specifically in our state legislature, that is working to strip local control away from municipalities,” Dallas Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman told KERA. “He is weakening his position as mayor to join a political party that is antithetical to everything that the voters want, but also to his day-to-day job function.”
Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Director Jerry Hawkins described Johnson's defection to the Republicans as "craven and cowardly."
“He has been spewing right wing catch-phrases and conservative policies since 2020, and I have been ringing the alarm,” Hawkins said. “He has betrayed every Democratic voter that cast a vote for him, including me…I hope this is a wake-up to City of Dallas voters to be more vigilant and to be more engaged.”
Even inside Dallas City Hall, elected officials seemed at least confused about Johnson’s decision to become a Republican.
“I do not understand the mayor’s decision to switch parties in the era we find ourselves in,” District 1 Council Member Chad West told KERA in September. “But I hope he uses this inflection point in his life to double down on the commitment he made to serve Dallas for the next four years as its mayor.”
District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon said at the time that party politics doesn’t factor into how she shows up for her constituency.
“Party affiliation plays no role in how I serve my District and work for all Dallas residents,” Blackmon told KERA in Sep. “I ran for municipal office because partisan politics should not play a motivating role in decisions affecting our residents…I show up every day to do the job they elected me to do.”
Texas Republicans welcomed Johnson into the conservative fold after he changed parties.
“Texas is getting more Red everyday…[Johnson is] pro law enforcement & won’t tolerate leftist agendas,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said over X — formerly Twitter — in late September.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was recently tried but not convicted on impeachment charges for allegations of mishandling campaign contributions and blocking a federal probe, also welcomed Johnson to the GOP.
Welcome, Mayor! https://t.co/viawLP99qs
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 22, 2023
More recently, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel says she's glad Johnson has started the Republican Mayors Association.
"Liberal policies and the Democratic mayors who campion them have failed millions of Americans in cities all across the country and have for some time," McDaniel said in the Friday press release. "I applaud and support Mayor Johnson for spearheading this important national effort to reclaim out cities from the far left policies that have done them so much harm."
So far, it’s unclear who else has joined Johnson’s association. The group’s website only lists the mayor as leadership and has sparse information about anyone else involved.
“We aim to bring a fresh perspective to urban governance,” Johnson said in a statement about the association. “One that blends traditional conservative values with innovative solutions.”
A recent KERA analysis of council meeting attendance data found that Johnson has missed more than 130 hours of meetings since being elected mayor in 2019. That’s more than any of the current council members.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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