Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced she is the latest Democrat to leave the party, becoming an independent after serving under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Jean-Pierre will also release in October a book recounting the weeks that led to Biden’s decision to not run for re-election last year. Titled “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines,” it anticipates detailing the “betrayal by the Democratic Party” that led to Biden’s announcement. The former official will also promote the need to “embrace life as Independents,” claiming the two-party system is broken.
“In a hard-hitting yet hopeful critique, Jean-Pierre defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent,” reads the announcement from Legacy Lit. Gallup noted last year that 43% of Americans identified as independents in 2023, tying a record high from 2014. 27% identified as Republicans and 27% as Democrats, a historical low for the latter.
Jean-Pierre’s is the latest of several recent departures, with some elected officials opting for No Party Affiliation and others joining the Republican Party. In Florida, state Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo announced his shift to NPA, claiming the state’s Democratic Party is “dead” and criticizing political partisanship for hindering effective leadership.
Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras, on her end, switched to the Republican Party in January. She cited the previous election’s message from voters indicating a need for strong leadership and stated that the Democratic Party no longer represented her values or those of most Americans, claiming it prioritized “minority opinions” over community issues.
Additionally, Florida State Representatives Hillary Cassel and Susan Valdes both left the Democratic Party in December. Cassel, a Jewish woman, specifically cited frustration with the party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict and tolerance of “extreme progressive voices.” Valdes, on her end, expressed frustration with party leadership.
Originally published on Latin Times
