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Democratic sheriff in Pennsylvania changes party affiliation to Republican over the unrest and violence

2020-09-26 | 🔗
Fox News' Will Cain sits down with Westmoreland sheriff to discuss departmental changes.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pete the two officers shot during protests in Louisville on Wednesday were r, just the latest case of officers facing violent attacks for simply wearing their uniform, and the lack of opposition from the left has many in the law enforcement community feeling abandoned will will in fact its forcing some sheriffs to reconsider their political party and shift from Democrat to Republican. I spoke to one of them this week. What more Land County sheriff James Albert has been making changes in the department since taking over in January. We have definitely added training. Will he has updated the design of apartment patch dont tread on me. Doesnt seem like the symbol of a lifelong democrat thats. Why im a Republican now laughter will? Is he modifying his political party going from a Democrat which he ran as to a Republican? I always considered myself a conservative democrat. As the time went on and the party moved to the left I started to see. I was more in line thinking as a
Republican will, in his more than 40 year career in law enforcement. Sheriff Albert has stuck to the blue side of the aisle. When you were a detective, how did you vote democratic Party? Will when you ran for district judge, which ticket did you run on Democrat Republican? Can you cross file democratic ticket? Will when you ran as sheriff? What ticket did you run on Democrat? Will how many years were you a Democrat all of my life until this past Monday? Will the sheriff shift appears to have been embraced by colleagues, including the departments Union president? Did it concern you his move? No, he is very open, very prounion and very much conservative. Will the Westmoreland County Sheriffs Department is an arm of the Pennsylvania Courts. They also act as backup to the police departments like when protests against police brutality hit the state the past few months with the goings on in the news media with
the protests, the riots, the looting burning, assaults on law enforcement and the silence of the Democratic Party was deafening. Will at least seven sheriffs across the nation have switched their political party since two thousand and seventeen and Sheriff Albert says he wouldnt be surprised if more make the move. I received a number of phone calls from sheriffs across Pennsylvania and they notified me. Some of them have that they are switching from the Democrat to the Republican Party also, and I think its happening often will so could the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Party switch, be an indicator how this swing state may vote in November. I believe that Pennsylvania will vote for President Trump will. You are a lifelong Democrat in Pennsylvania? Were you always sceptic call of Joe Biden, I think more recently, I thought he was a pretty good candidate, but that was some years ago. He has alluded to the fact of cutting funds for police and so im very skeptical of Biden and Harris. I will support president Trump again will. Why do you think he has changed?
The party itself has moved to the left and he has kind of moved along with them will have. You said something similar about your own choice, your own move to become a Republican yeah. I didnt leave the Democratic Party it left me: will there you have it PETE Pete very interesting? Will I dont know what kind of indicator that is for the way Pennsylvania will vote come this election, but I do think its an indicator of the effect these protests have had on the electorate. They are increasingly more and more unpopular. You can see many in law enforcement are making their way away from the democratic Party. Because of that PETE did you get the sense? Will he was a reflection of his officers? Arrests, well, the others in the department that the rank and file felt like how could we have our leadership as a Democrat are w all this nonsense going on when got this job in problem of us and not being supported? Will I absolutely got this sense that rank and file moved most seemed to be supportive of the republican Party? Again? What does that say about Pennsylvania? What does that say about swing voters? What does that say about people
who might switch from one party to the other PETE about union voters? Traditionally so strong nut camp of Democrats? To hear that other officer say he is very prounion? Is he a Republican? The president has made a play for those workers and bring the.
Transcript generated on 2020-09-26.