A Democratic sheriff is leaving his party for the GOP.
Dave Wedding, sheriff of southern Indiana’s largest county, says he is switching sides after the Democrats abandoned the police, God, and the American flag, the Associated Press reports.
Indiana sheriff flips
Twice elected as a Democrat, the Vanderburgh County sheriff announced his decision last week, saying that the Democratic Party’s radical turn was to blame.
“I’m tired of seeing fires set in our streets,” Wedding said, according to the AP. “I’m tired of people defying God, our church, our police, our government and everything we stand for.”
His statement comes as President Trump has loudly advocated for “law and order” while expressing support for America’s cops, who have been embattled by months of anti-racism protests and intense, violent confrontations with rioters in the streets of largely Democratic-led cities. Trump has been endorsed by many police groups, including the nation’s largest police union.
Pointing to a flag, Wedding said Thursday that the Democrats “want to burn that thing every day” and slammed his former party for leaving God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Evansville Courier & Press reported. Democrats left the words out of two meetings at their party’s nominating convention.
“The left wing, you can’t say God,” Wedding complained, according to the Courier & Press. “They can’t say God in the Pledge of Allegiance. What the hell is wrong with that? It’s ridiculous. I sit and watch this and say, how could I even be a part of idiots like that?”
A warm welcome
According to the AP, the county Democratic Party responded to the news by slamming the sheriff as an “opportunist.”
“Democrats love their country and that’s why we are fighting so hard for the preservation of democracy,” county Chairwoman Edie Hardcastle said. “We are fighting for our flag and the rule of law as long as it is applied to all Americans, and the freedom of religion so we can all worship as we like in the United States.”
Wedding’s switch comes after the sheriff of neighboring Posey County made the same move, saying he “will not sit silently as Democrats urge the defunding of police across our nation,” the Evansville Courier & Press reported separately. Vice President Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana, has welcomed both men to the GOP.
Wedding, for his part, expressed hope on Thursday that the Republicans triumph this November, saying “we’re in trouble” if they don’t.
“I’m glad to be joining the Republican Party,” Wedding concluded, according to the Courier & Press. “I think we have a lot of work to do, including winning the presidential election, because if not, we’re in trouble.”
The post Democrat sheriff announces switch to the GOP: 'I'm glad to be joining the Republican Party' first appeared on Conservative Institute.
No comments: