Is Change No Longer Welcomed?
In a shocking declaration last week, North Carolina Representative Tricia Cotham formalized her party switch to the GOP. Cotham has run as a Democrat, and with Democrats, since her political debut in 2007. Prior to entering Politics, she served for a few years as a teacher and principal. Cotham spent 10 years as the representative of the North Carolina Assembly for District 100, 2007-2017. Mecklenburg, the area that Cotham represents, has historically been represented by Democrats for many years. 14 out of the other 16 representatives for the State House and State Senate that represent portions of Mecklenburg are Democrats as well.
The North Carolina Assembly GOP already has a huge majority, contrary to the Democratic Governor and the 50/50 split of US House members. While Cotham has given the Republican Caucus in the North Carolina Assembly a SuperMajority (the ability to override the Democratic governor's veto), it is supposed to be her duty to represent her district. Her district is strongly Democratic, and they are calling for her to resign. She ran on a platform of strengthening the educational system, promoting LGBTQ+ rights, and other commonly Democratic promises, which is why her party switch feels like a betrayal to many residents (and to her Democrat peers who know the value in every single "win" they can get).
Cotham credits her switch to the "Twitter Hate" she has received from constituents and her peers alike. As a proud Christian and American, Cotham was keen on using the American flag on her personal items and personal statements. In the swing state of North Carolina, some of these promotions can be considered controversial due to the political environment of the state. She cites the Democrats' "inhospitality" and claims that the modern version of the Democratic Party has no room for moderates or self-thinkers. While she was welcomed into the Republican Caucus with open arms, both Democrat and Republican voters are wary of her party change. Even on her Twitter post about the Easter holiday, many users are commenting on her fraudulent platform.
I hypothesize that Cotham may genuinely feel a disconnect from the Democratic Party, but it is hard to grasp her switch over to the GOP. Much like Kyrsten Sinema, the US Senator who moved from the Democratic Party to an Independent identity (although still caucusing with the Democrats), I can see how Cotham may have been compelled to leave because of the aggressive pushes for progressivism rather than traditional Democratic values. Polarization on both sides of the spectrum typically negatively impacts moderate politicians, so it makes sense that they would become detached from their previous identity.
Representative Cotham's actions are shocking. She should resign from her position now that she has switched parties. Elected officials need to uphold the values and beliefs of the party they were elected under and the constituents who voted for them based on those beliefs. By switching parties, Cotham is essentially betraying the trust of those who elected her as a Democrat. Furthermore, it would be unfair for Cotham to continue serving in a democratic area as a Republican without allowing voters to choose their representative again in an election. This also goes against the principles of democracy and fair representation.
ReplyDeleteI think it is always interesting to see an elected official change parties, and it usually comes as a shock to many. However, I don't think they should resign. My argument is that at the end of the day they are trying to do what's best for their constituents, event if the definition of that "best" might be different and that is why we also have elections for Representatives every 2 years. Lastly, I think this change of heart in party affiliation is most likely related to new and extreme progressive ideas.
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