Florida State Rep. Hillary Cassel breaks her silence on her switch from Democrat to Republican
MIAMI — "Facing South Florida" talks to State Rep. Hillary Cassel, who breaks her silence about switching her political party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.
Her decision to leave the Democrats and join the GOP came after her November re-election victory. Cassel, who represents a predominantly Democratic district in Broward County, faced criticisms from the Democratic Party.
U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused Cassel of deception for switching parties after winning what was considered to be a safe Democratic seat.
"Cassel deceived voters by faking a commitment to fight the GOP's radical agenda," she told the Sun Sentinel. "Her interest is power — not people."
Her switch was also seen as a betrayal by some Democrats, with Florida State Sen. Tina Polsky calling out Cassel's claims of antisemitism within the party.
"As a Jewish woman myself, I was honestly offended by her using that as a crutch to leave the Democratic Party," she also told the Sun Sentinel.
However, it hasn't been all criticism, as Cassel received a congratulatory post from President-elect Donald Trump on the party switch.
The interview
Since joining the Republican Party, Cassel has refused to answer questions from reporters until this week, when she sat down with "Facing South Florida" to discuss her decision.
She explained that her decision to switch parties was a slow, thoughtful process, with the Israel debate being a pivotal moment.
"I take time to make decisions, especially this large. And for me, the debate about Israel really lit that first fuse, and there were moments from that time forward that just continued to set me apart and set me aside a little from staying connected to the Democratic Party," Cassel said.
Cassel continued, saying that she felt disconnected from the Democratic Party after a debate about a ceasefire resolution during the Hamas attacks on Israel. She also emphasized that the decision was made on Dec. 26, 2023, and not earlier, allowing voters to make a different choice.
"This wasn't a decision until you hit 'send' on that notice," Cassel said. "That's when that decision is really made."
Cassel also said she believes the Democratic Party has allowed extreme, progressive voices to overtake its narrative, which led to her disconnect. She continued, saying that other post-election incidents solidified her decision to leave the Democratic Party, including a lack of self-reflection and willingness to acknowledge problems.
"We have a communication problem," Cassel said. "We have a connection problem and as I engaged in those conversations with current leadership, I continued to see this lack of willingness to acknowledge that we have problems with our messaging."
She also criticized the Democratic Party for not evolving and not connecting with Floridians and Americans as a whole.
"To be a part of a party that did not seem that they were interested in changing, I no longer wanted to participate in that," Cassel said. "We have to evolve."
Cassel went on to compare her approaches to problem-solving and self-reflection to her experience as a trial lawyer, emphasizing the need for change in the Democratic Party.
"I present cases in front of juries. If a jury doesn't side with me, I don't blame them," she said. "I don't blame the voters for not picking me. I look at myself, I look at the presentation, I look at the disconnect with the jury and the people, and I make changes. And I wasn't seeing that or hearing that in the conversations post-election as to what the vision of the future of the Democratic Party was going to be and how we were going to begin to start connecting with the people."
Cassel also said that she believes the Republican Party is more aligned with the American people and Floridians, despite not agreeing with them on every issue.
Cassel also clarified her stance on key issues, telling "Facing South Florida" that she does not support the six-week abortion ban and is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+ rights, and emphasized that her voting record will reflect her principles and that she will work on issues that matter to Floridians, such as affordable housing and property insurance.
She also expressed her intentions to be an independent thinker and effective leader, focusing on solving problems rather than being an opposition for the opposition's sake.
"My voting record stands and I look forward to the opportunity to proving to my district the issues that still matter to me and that I can operate as a Republican in this caucus and be an independent thinker and do what's right for my district," Cassel said.
"Facing South Florida" questioned Cassel whether her switch was about Israel, Republican values or personal conflicts within the Democratic caucus, but she reiterated that her decision was based on her alignment with the Republican Party's approach to problem-solving and empowering members.
Cassel also said she plans to focus on issues like property insurance and affordable housing, aiming to bring resources home to her district and be an effective leader.