Not All Party Switchers Are Opportunists-- Meet Jason Thigpen (NC-03)

Lately, I've been railing a lot about Steve Israel recruiting Republicans to run for Congress as Democrats. That usually works out very badly-- at least for people, unlike Steve Israel, who give a damn about Democratic values. But not every Republican-turned-fake-Democratic is an opportunistic shill. Jason Thigpen, who's running in North Carolina's third CD against Walter Jones is running because if realized that his value system is more inline with progressive Democrats than it is with Republicans. He blogged about it here last year after he had switched parties. Needless to say, anyone who switches for the right reasons, gets no help from the DCCC. And, of course, he's getting no help from the DCCC. Maybe if he backed Chained CPI , tracking or was anti-Choice and anti-gay they'd embrace him.

More recently, Jason sent an email to his supporters about why he switched parties and why he's running for Congress against a long-time entrenched incumbent. I thought it would be worth publishing so you have it in your mind when the DCCC asks you to help them financially so they can fund candidates like Jennifer Garrison, Jerry Cannon, Suzanne Patrick, Kevin Strouse and Mike Parrish.

They say that your life flashes in front of you when you face a life-threatening situation. But in Iraq when my gun truck was blown up by a roadside bomb and I raced to rescue a fallen comrade, I thought only of my two little girls and how much I loved them.



That’s why, after returning home from Iraq, I decided to run for United States Congress in North Carolina’s 3rd district. But I’m not only concerned about my family’s future; I’m concerned about the future of your family, your children and grandchildren, and about the destiny of our nation.



In the past you have supported Democratic candidates like me. Now I ask for your trust and support in my run for Congress…


By now you’ve probably heard about my switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. After a great deal of deliberation, I left the GOP because I refuse to be a member of a political party that is controlled by Tea Party extremists who promote hate, intolerance and divisiveness. Those are not my values, and I know they’re not yours.



Radical right-wing zealots in Raleigh and Washington are trying to keep many of our fellow citizens from experiencing the fruits of liberty. This is not the world I want my daughters to grow up in. I didn’t go to war to defend the liberties and freedoms of any one particular ideology, creed, race, ethnic group or gender. I joined the military and went to Iraq to fight for ALL Americans.



When I get to Washington I will continue that fight. I will work to raise the minimum wage so those who work hard can realize the American Dream. I will support legislation that creates equal pay for women and protects their reproductive rights. I will push for equal rights for all citizens and an end to voter suppression. And I’ll continue to stand up for veterans and their families.



Those are all common-sense ideas that the vast majority of Americans agree on. When I’m elected, I will do everything in my power to make them a reality.


You want to cut Social Security and other social insurance programs? If you do, vote for a Republican, a New Dem or a Blue Dog. They do too. Want to protect Social Security? Then vote for independent-minded progressives like Jason Thigpen. That simple? Absolutely. You can support Jason's grassroots campaign here.