"Democrats were never actually there" for Dallas on matters of public safety, Mayor Eric Johnson said at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
"Today, I'm the proud Republican mayor of Dallas, Texas," he said. "The largest city in the United States led by a Republican."
Dallas mayoral elections are nonpartisan, and before being elected the city's mayor, Johnson served five terms in the state House, representing parts of Dallas County. He switched parties in September 2023.
Johnson narrated his journey from Democrat to Republican.
"With their words and their actions and sometimes with their silence and their inaction, Democrats in power demonstrate they don't care about stopping the killers or the thieves who terrorize black and brown communities," he said.
Johnson explained that while still a Democrat, activists protested on his front lawn demanding he push to defund the Dallas Police Department. He recounted his childhood in a high-crime neighborhood and said those residents don't need less police protection, they need more.
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