Wyoming County Senator Daniel Hall made the political switch from Democrat to Republican this week giving the GOP an 18 to 16 majority. On Viewpoint Friday, Hall said he made the switch to keep his district relevant.
Hall said members of the state Republican Party approached him to make the switch before the election, but he hadn’t considered it because of the strong majority the Democrats held in the chamber. But after Tuesday evening’s election wins that tied the body 17 to 17, Hall said he reconsidered the offer.
“My job is to represent the people of my district and this decision was solely based on putting my district in the best decision to move forward,” he said.
Hall said there have been discussions about what his position in the new leadership will be, but he hasn’t been promised a committee chairmanship.
As for his credibility with the voters when he runs for re-election in 2016, Hall says this:
“The people of my district don’t care about party politics. They care about their people, they care about their families, they care about their district moving forward and their communities improving. That’s what they care about. They don’t care who is in charge, whether its Democrats or Republicans, as long as their lives are getting better.”