State Assemblyman Chad Mayes left the Republican party this week, the latest GOP defection in what’s become a trend among Trump-era moderates. According to CalMatters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture, Mayes re-registered without party preference, becoming the second California lawmaker this year to leave the Republican party. Their departures reflect the clash of two diverging forces: Donald Trump is pulling the Republican Party to the right as California voters are increasingly moving to the left. Less than 24 percent of California voters are registered. With Mayes’ switch, Republicans now hold just 23 percent of legislative seats.
Mayes, a former Yucca Valley Town councilmember and mayor—and former leader of the Republican party in the state Assembly— said, “It’s frustrating to watch Republicans defend whatever it is the President does. It’s also frustrating to watch Democrats attack virtually everything the President does, instead of thinking, ‘Is this a good policy or not a good policy? At some point you go, ‘It doesn’t make a lot of sense for me to keep banging my head against the wall.’”
Mayes leaves the GOP in tandem with voters in his 42nd district. When he was first elected in 2014, 41 percent of voters here were Republicans—a 7-point advantage over Democrats. Today, the parties are neck in neck, each holding a 35 percent share of registered voters.
Republicans will likely field a candidate to run against Mayes next year. Republican Party leaders seemed determined to exact revenge after endorsing Mayes’ reelection just a few weeks ago. “Chad has let the Republican Party down just as he let down the voters of California,” the state party’s Board of Directors said in a statement. “We are confident that a Republican will win that seat in November.”
