SACRAMENTO – California Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is leaving the Democratic Party to join the Republicans in California, the state GOP announced.
Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones and California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson welcomed Alvarado-Gil to the California Republican Party on Thursday.
She was elected in 2022 and represents District 4, which includes Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Stanislaus, Madera, Merced, Mono, Nevada and Inyo counties.
Alvarado-Gil said she has been a Democrat for a long time, but since her election in 2022, she and the Democratic Party no longer share the same values.
“From my first day in office, I have put the interests of my constituents first. I was elected to serve the public, not a political ideology,” Alvarado-Gil said in a statement. “The status quo under a two-thirds Democratic majority in the legislature simply does not work for this state. After careful consideration, I am announcing that I will join the Republican Senate Caucus and the California Republican Party in their fight to improve the situation in California.”
Alvarado-Gil is known for her support of a tough-on-crime approach and her fiscal conservative views. She has also voted with Republicans on labor legislation.
California Republicans say Alvarado-Gil has taken the initiative to address issues such as combating the fentanyl crisis, protecting child victims of sex trafficking and cracking down on the placement of Sexually violent offenders in rural communities.
She tried to introduce laws like the Safe Act, which State doctors have the final say when releasing a predator.
The bill is currently collecting signatures and hopes to be brought to the vote in November 2026.
Their defection gives Republicans nine votes in the 40-member Senate, which is still far below the majority they need to control the chamber. Democrats have a two-thirds majority in both the Assembly and the Senate in the Capitol.
State Senate President pro tempore Mike McGuire said her decision was “disappointing to the voters” who elected her in 2022.
“They trusted her to represent them and she abused that trust,” he said in a statement.
He added: “One bright spot is that MAGA Republicans are gaining a colleague who is pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ rights and anti-Trump. We wish her the best of luck.”
Alvarado-Gil, who represents a conservative-leaning district, won her 2022 election by more than 5 points against a progressive Democrat after the duo defeated six Republican candidates in the primary. Her district has become slightly more Republican since 2022, with Republicans making up nearly 39% of registered voters in 2024, while Democrats make up 34%.
Alvarado-Gil will not be up for re-election until 2026.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
