Lawmaker switches parties as Texas GOP makes border inroads

FLORESVILLE, Texas (AP) — A longtime Democratic lawmaker from South Texas says he is switching parties and running as a Republican in 2022. State Rep. Ryan Guillen has been one of the most conservative Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives for nearly two decades. He said Monday that his values no longer aligned with Democrats, who have had a stronghold on the Texas border for years. The switch comes after Guillen’s rural border district was redrawn to heavily favor Republicans under new voting maps signed last month by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.