‘That’s what Republicans do, lie to get a job’: Florida lawmaker who ran as a Democrat flips to GOP after win

We really shouldn’t be surprised by the depths that Republicans will go to in order to win a seat of power. As the entire country watches Donald Trump slowly transform his cabinet into an oligarchical Guess Who, politicians are scrambling to figure out how to make the most of what little time they have left in office—even if they’ve only just won their reelection.

Reminding the rest of America that Florida is, in fact, a swamp, State Representative Susan Valdes joined the slew of lawmakers willing to do anything to get ahead. Worst of all, she’s made her announcement to change teams just weeks after winning her reelection.

Vales was first elected to Florida‘s 64th district back in 2018. a lifelong Democrat, the 60-year-old has consistently run on the party’s ticket, including her bid for reelection in 2024. Unfortunately for her constituents, shortly after her win, Valdes abruptly switched parties.

She posted her official resignation from the Democratic Party on X.com, lamenting the Democrats status as the “party of protesting” rather than a “party of progress.”

“I want to roll my sleeves up and work,” she wrote on the site, “I love my community, and I will continue to fight every day to benefit the people of West Tampa…. 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.”

It’s hard to argue with the logic. Republicans outnumber Democrats in Florida 86-34. It’s like playing in the NFL and dropping the Cleveland Browns to join the Pittsburgh Steelers; of course you’re going to win more. Her post was immediately inundated with love and support from the Republican community on the site, with Speaker Daniel Perez lauding the decision. “I am thrilled today to announce that Representative Susan Valdes has changed her voter registration from Democrat to Republican,” Perez wrote in an email to Tampa’s NPR station. “We all know Susan as a fierce advocate for her community, and a person of uncommon common sense. She will be a great asset to our Republican team.”

Just last month, Valdes ran against a Republican candidate in the 64th district, beating her Republican opponent by nearly 5 percentage points. On the heels of her victory, she turned her ambitions toward the county’s Democratic leadership post, but her constituents weren’t interested. According to the Democrat minority leader, she “lost by a substantial margin.” Nothing says good sport like changing teams after a butt kicking, and less than a week later, Valdes showed herself the door.

It’s not uncommon for politicians to switch sides. They’ve have been jumping from party to party since America was first founded, but it’s more than a little suspect when the switch comes fresh off of an election. Florida’s term limits mean this is Valdes’s last stint in office. If she’s going to do something substantial, she has to get it done now.

Her former colleagues were quick to criticize the bait-and-switch. Democratic House Leader Fentrice Driskell said the move was “sad” and felt Valdes had “elevated her own aspirations above the needs of her district.”

It seems the recent Republican is already learning from the likes of James Mattis, John Bolton, John Kelly, Rudy Giuliani, and dozens of other former Republicans whose careers were crushed in Donald Trump’s wake. If you can’t get it done the right way, better to go out in a blaze of glory. But hey, she could always end up a minority like West Virginian governor Jim Justice, and actually help someone along the way.