Louisiana state Representative Jeremy LaCombe has announced his departure from the Democratic party, registering as a Republican instead. This marks the third Democrat in just a month to make such a move and follows North Carolina lawmaker Tricia Cotham's announcement that she will not be joining the Republican Party.
Rep. LaCombe, who represents portions of parishes west and north of Baton Rouge, made it known on Monday that he would change his party affiliation to Republican. His decision comes after another Democrat, Rep. Francis Thompson, left the party last month giving Republicans a veto-proof majority in the House.
The recent changes have resulted in Republicans gaining a supermajority in the Louisiana State House with 71 out of 105 seats. This means they can override any potential vetoes by moderate Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Sam Jenkins commented on LaCombe's switch saying that despite changing parties, he still embraces "the same values" as Democrats.
These switches come at a time when President Biden faces near-record low approval ratings among key groups such as women voters (41% vs 39%), voters ages 45+ (41%), suburban voters (41%), rural voters (31% vs 30%) and Democrats themselves (81% vs 78%).
As more Democrats leave their party behind for GOP membership across various states like Wisconsin where only two seats are needed for Republicans to obtain veto override power - this trend could signify an opportunity for further encouragement by GOP leaders for Democrats to make similar moves going forward.