Tucson Councilman Kozachik Dumps Republican Party
The Tucson city council has lost its lone Republican member.
Councilman Steve Kozachik renounced the Republican Party Friday and registered as a Democrat, saying the Republican party has “lurched too far to the right” in recent years.
“This party, whether it’s on immigration, women’s reproductive rights or the whole social panoply of issues … is just out of touch with this community,” Kozachik said.
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‘The Arizona Republican Party is an outlier,’ Kozachik wrote. ‘I am not, and I see nothing that indicates that leadership is inclined to move in any direction but further away from what I believe are the values of this community.’
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From Mr. Kozachik’s letter to Tucson residents (link):
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My colleagues and I will continue to agree on many issues, and we will disagree on some as well. What is most important though is that as we craft public policy, we each respect the fact that every person at the table brings a unique perspective, and each deserves a voice in the discussion. That dynamic does not exist within the leadership of the Arizona Republican Party.
Enough is enough, even in Arizona.