Oregon GOP politician switches parties because of Trump, mysogyny, racism

Commissioner Lori Stegmann: ' if you don’t stand for something, then you stand for nothing.'

A LIFELONG Republican, Oregon's Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann has left the party to become a Democrat.

Stegmann, 58, told the Oregonian she can sum up the reason for the change with one word: Trump. In a statement on her Facebook page, she said, "As a woman, a business owner, a mother, an immigrant, and a minority I cannot condone the misogyny, the racism, and the unethical and immoral behavior of the current administration. I fear for the safety of our country, for human rights, for women’s rights, the environment, and the uncertainty of our future.

"I have not changed but the Republican Party most certainly has," she added.

Stegmann joins other prominent Republicans -- like Washington Post columnist George Will and GOP strategist Steve Schmidt -- who have changed their party affiliation.

Lori Stegmann added, “I came to this country without parents. In July of 1960, I immigrated to the U.S. as an undocumented baby. After the Korean War, hundreds of orphans like me were starving to death. Had I not been adopted by a loving family, I most likely would have died. That is something that weighs upon me every day of my life.

“I cannot stand by silently while hateful and divisive policies are implemented in our country," stated Stegmann, who considers herself a moderate. "America is a place with liberty and freedom for all, not just for some. The effects of these human rights violations are shameful and quite frankly un-American.”

Her statement continued, "For me this was a very personal decision. This decision is about who I am, what I believe in, and my core values. And if you don’t stand for something, then you stand for nothing. I prefer to stand for our country, for what is right and just, and for the social change we so urgently need."

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