Florida Rep. Susan Valdes chose to betray her constituents, who elected her as a Democrat nearly a month ago, by changing her party affiliation to Republican. In the upcoming legislative session, Valdés will caucus with the GOP, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas,” Valdes wrote in a statement posted on the Bad App. “I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community.”
Florida Politics reports:
Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the House Minority Leader who also represents parts of Tampa, said in a statement that she was “surprised and disappointed” in Valdés’ decision.
“Rep. Valdés was elected by her constituents as a Democrat to fight for our shared values here in Tallahassee and has consistently and publicly shared that she feels …