State Rep. Shawn Thierry, a Houston Democrat who was defeated in her primary earlier this year, announced Friday she is switching to the Republican Party.
A number of prominent Houston Democrats lined up behind Simmons for her primary challenge, including some of Thierry’s current and former colleagues in the Texas House — an unusually public show of repudiation from an incumbent’s own party.
Thierry’s term will expire before the Legislature reconvenes in Austin for its next regular session in January, however, and Simmons is heavily favored to win the solidly Democratic seat in November.
She didn’t switch parties. She was forcibly removed by her own party.
She didn’t switch parties. She was forcibly removed by her own party.
Her decision has meaning because she’s still in office and she’ll run for re-election as a Republican (although she’ll probably lose).
They really buried the lede on that one.