Biden fundraiser and lifelong Democrat flees party for GOP: 'We have to be more united'
Will Pierce, who formerly campaigned for Democratic candidates like Joe Biden, explains why he left the party.
A former Biden fundraiser and senior adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., has become the latest dedicated Democrat to walk away from the party and join the GOP.
"Over the years, the [Democratic] party has changed from its ideals," Will Pierce told "FOX & Friends First" Tuesday.
"I personally view politics as a game of ideas, and you have to get to 50% plus one and unite people all the way around. If you look at the Democratic Party right now, they'd rather divide people in boxes and label them rather than unite them."
FORMER WV HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER SWITCHES PARTIES, PREPS RUN FOR SECRETARY OF STATE
A paper donkey, the animal symbol of the Democratic Party, hangs from the ceiling at the Virginia Victory Coordinated Campaign Field Office on October 8, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. (Leigh Vogel/WireImage)
Pierce, in an opinion piece for The Daily Caller, detailed his jump between parties, lamenting that the party has distanced itself from the working class and become dominated by "elites in affluent hubs" that don't care about lower-income Americans.
He also alleged the party is out of touch with the needs and interests of most voters.
"People in the Democratic Party, they just do not understand about the needs of [us] all," he said.
LIFELONG DEMOCRAT BELIEVES HE'LL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF BIDEN RUNS AGAIN: ‘A BUNCH OF EMPTY PROMISES’
Will Pierce, a Democrat who left the party, stands beside Joe Biden. (FOX & Friends First/Screengrab)
"If you look at today… the Democrats care more about what's happening in Kyiv than what's going on at the southern border. They care about more about ideological stuff, such as who you are… it's more about basically what you are – your gender, your race, etc., than who you are as a person."
In his opinion piece, Pierce explained his background as someone who "spearheaded Joe Biden’s exploratory effort in 2015," served as one of Sanders' senior advisers during the 2016 and 2020 elections and fundraised for Biden during the 2020 race.
He also said Democrats' meddling in education – labeling parents as "domestic terrorists" and placing progressive content in the classroom – were behind his switch.
LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER TURNED ACTIVIST DEFECTS TO REPUBLICAN PARTY
On air, he emphasized the state of the economy and, in his eyes, Biden's failure to unite the nation, indicating that failure illustrates a larger problem within the party.
"If you look at where we are as a people, he has not done what he promised to do or does as he's supposed to do as president. He is supposed to unite us, and instead he's dividing us, and it just starts at the top."
Some other Democrats have distanced themselves from the party or expressed discontent with its inaction on certain issues, including antisemitism.
Anti-Trump comedian Michael Rapaport suggested that voting for the former president might be "on the table" if antisemitism isn't addressed properly.
This year has seen other Democratic politicians also abandon the party, including Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, West Virginia lawmaker Elliott Pritt, Georgia lawmaker Mesha Mainor, North Carolina lawmaker Tricia Cotham and Louisiana lawmaker Francis Thompson.
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