Former California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero announced on Friday that she is leaving the Democratic Party due to its stance on gas stoves.
Romero said she has “had enough” and is no longer aligned with the Democratic Party, leading her to switch her party affiliation to Republican, according to NBC News 4 San Antonio.
Her decision comes in response to a Department of Energy (DOE) plan to implement a new “energy conservation standard” for gas stoves and electric cooking equipment.
“I for example think we are going to solve nothing by banning gas stoves,” Romero said. “As a Latina, I will not give up my gas stove because you cannot toast a tortilla on an electric range. That is just bad news, another reason to leave the Democratic Party.”
Former Dem CA State Senator Gloria Romero SWITCHES PARTIES: This is a Democrat Party that I no longer recognize. It has moved so far to the left. It's been the Party to march towards war, censorship, authoritarianism.
Kamala's radicalism scares even the staunchest of Democrats. pic.twitter.com/L92KPp4uFv
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 5, 2024
Romero stated that she and many other Latinos no longer recognize the Democratic Party and plan to vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump in November, according to NBC News 4 San Antonio. She expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party’s current policies on climate change and emissions, which she cannot support.
“In this Capitol behind me, I served as both Senate Democratic Caucus chair and the Senate Majority Leader,” Romero said. “Today, I say goodbye, adios, I’ve had enough. I am now another near-lifelong Democrat who is joining the growing number of people, including key groups like Latinos, who are leaving the Democratic Party. This is not the Democratic Party I once championed, I do not recognize it anymore.”
We all have our breaking points I suppose, lol. https://t.co/osR3kj4UdA pic.twitter.com/8KKJQBSoeS
— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) September 6, 2024
The Biden administration finalized an energy efficiency rule that will take effect in January 2028. This rule will apply to newly manufactured electric cooktops, gas cooktops, stand-alone electric cooktops, stand-alone gas cooktops, and ovens.
In January 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) informed Bloomberg that the Biden administration was considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves, citing a December 2022 study linking gas stoves to an increased risk of children developing asthma.
Current California State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil announced that she is leaving the Democrat party to become a Republican
Her announcement started a movement in Califonia that led to former Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero doing the same
Now, Democrats are coming after… pic.twitter.com/2fzNWI0QPi
— George (@BehizyTweets) September 7, 2024
In response, then-Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, which aimed to prevent the CPSC from regulating gas stoves.
The Biden administration has denied claims that it intends to ban gas stoves, calling such assertions “misinformation.”