A prominent Democratic and Jewish leader who served for decades as a New York lawmaker and now leads a group committed to fighting anti-Semitism announced Thursday that he will leave his lifelong political party and become a Republican, arguing that the Democrats have “radicalized” and “turned their backs.” about the Jewish people.
“It’s official: My wife and I have changed our party affiliation from Democrat to Republican!” Dov Hikind, who spent 36 years in the New York State Assembly and later founded Americans Against Antisemitism, tweeted.
“[People] they’ve been asking for a while, “Dov, when are you leaving the Democratic Party?” Well, the time has come [because] the Dems have turned their backs on the Jews and Israel, so it’s officially done!”
Hikind’s tweet included a video of him and his wife, Shani, explaining their decision to join the Republican Party.
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“I’ve been a Democrat my whole life — my family, my parents. But that’s over. That’s over,” Hikind said. “I’ve decided to register as a Republican. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party has become so radicalized … that people who are moderates or conservative Democrats are not welcome in the Democratic Party, and I’ve had enough.”
Hikind added that the Democratic Party “turns its back on its friends like Israel,” criticizing the Biden administration for its policies toward the Jewish state.
“I am delighted to join the Republican Party,” Hikind added. “This is about sending a message — a message to the Biden administration, a message to the Democratic Party. We’re losing the American people because you don’t represent our values. You’re not representing the Democratic Party that my parents were from so proud. of”.
Hikind’s announcement came a day after some progressive Democrats boycotted a speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who addressed a joint meeting of Congress to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding. During his speech, Herzog chided House members for the recent attacks on Israel.
Several statewide Democratic lawmakers have recently defected and joined the Republican Party. (iStock)
“Criticism of Israel must not cross the line of denying the right to exist of the state of Israel,” Herzog said. “Questioning the right of the Jewish people to self-determination is not legitimate diplomacy. It is anti-Semitism. Violating and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the United States or anywhere in the world, is anti-Semitism.”
Over the weekend, Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, caused an uproar by calling Israel a “racist state.” Although he walked back his comments a bit, they still received fierce criticism from both sides of the aisle.
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The furor led Republicans to force a vote on a resolution that said Israel was neither a racist nor an apartheid state. The measure received overwhelming support from all but ten Democrats: nine voted “no” and one simply voted “present.” Jayapal voted with the majority that said Israel was not racist.
On Thursday, the same day as Hikind’s announcement, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y, doubled down on calling Israel an “apartheid” state.
Hikind is not the first former or current Democratic lawmaker to switch parties recently.
Dov Hikind, a lifelong Democrat who served 36 years in the New York State Assembly and later founded the group Americans Against Antisemitism, is joining the Republican Party. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Mesha Mainor, a Democrat who has represented the 56th District in the Georgia House since January 2021, announced that she will change her party registration to Republican.
“When I decided to stand up for disadvantaged kids in support of school choice, my Democratic colleagues didn’t stand up for me,” Mainor told Fox News Digital at the time. “They crucified me. When I decided to stand up in support of safe communities and refused to support efforts to defund the police, they didn’t support me. They abandoned me.”
In April, state Rep. Jeremy LaCombe announced he was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a Republican. He then became the second Louisiana Democrat in less than a month to switch party affiliations after Louisiana state Rep. Francis Thompson gave state House Republicans a swing supermajority your party affiliation.
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“The current Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me and to others across the state,” North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham said of her decision to switch parties. “I will not be controlled by anyone.”
In total, more than one million Americans have changed their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in the past 12 months.
Aaron Kliegman is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
