Mayor Eric Johnson has launched the Republican Mayors Association, building on his recent party affiliation flip after leaving the Democratic Party.
The newly-founded group states on its website: “Rising crime. Growing homelessness. Crumbling infrastructure. Crippling debt. High taxes. These are the sad realities in too many of America’s urban areas today, where 80% of all Americans reside.”
“Democrats occupy the mayor’s office in the overwhelming majority of our country’s largest urban areas and have for decades,” the organization wrote. “Enough is enough.”
“America’s cities and towns need mayors who will prioritize the needs of our diverse citizenry — well funded (not defunded) police and fire departments, expertly maintained streets, beautiful public green spaces, and low taxes on residents and businesses — instead of virtue signaling and wasteful spending on poorly conceived government programs,” the RMA argued.
In a statement shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Mayor Johnson said, “I am proud to announce the formation of the Republican Mayors Association.”
“We aim to bring a fresh perspective to urban governance, one that blends traditional conservative values with innovative solutions tailored to the unique challenges cities face,” he said. “It is my hope that through this association, we can create a network of like-minded mayors who can learn from each other, share best practices, and lead our cities to a brighter future.”
“Liberal policies and the Democrat mayors who champion them have failed millions of Americans in cities all across this country and have for quite some time,” claimed Ronna McDaniel, the national chair of the Republican Party, according to a press release.
Mayor Johnson, who grew up in Dallas, was first elected in 2019 and was reelected overwhelmingly in 2023 with over 90% of the vote. An advocate for public safety, low taxes, and public parks, Johnson has become one of the most popular mayors in Dallas’ history.
Before becoming mayor, Johnson served in the Texas House as a Democrat representing Dallas. While acting as mayor, he vocally established himself as non-partisan. However, he recently announced that he would join the Republican Party, as reported by The Dallas Express.
In doing so, Dallas became the largest city in the United States to have a Republican mayor. Johnson joined Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker to become the only two Republicans to sit at the helm of any of the 20 largest cities in the country. Another DFW city with a Republican mayor is Irving, with Mayor Rick Stopfer in the post.
The Texas Republican Party applauded Johnson’s new organization, saying, “Big news out of Dallas from our new Republican Mayor!”
Others, however, scorned the effort, with Brandon Friedman, a member of the Community Police Oversight Board, remarking, “Everything about this is terrible. A total embarrassment for Dallas.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Johnson received some backlash over his party switch, prompting some Democrats to call on him to resign.
