After a controversial switch, commissioner’s court now leans Republican by a three-two split.
DALLAS — It is a political switcheroo that is still reverberating throughout Fort Bend County.
County Judge KP George switched from Democrat to Republican six years after he first assumed the role.
And when we asked why, he pointed to the budget.
George argues that the county’s budget has nearly doubled since he took office, while spending continues at a level that is not sustainable.
But as county judge, George presides over the commissioner’s court, which is responsible for managing the budget. So, he would have played a leading role in any budget he now thinks is out-of-control.
“I am guilty of it. And I shouldn’t have agreed with it. I should have worked against it,” George told WFAA on Inside Texas Politics. “But I realized it late and so now I am fixing that problem. And this budget we are streamlining.”
George is facing felony charges of money laundering, accused of campaign finance fraud during the months when he first took office on Jan. 1, 2019. He also faces a separate charge for misrepresentation of identity as a candidate.
George denies all charges, telling us he did nothing wrong.
Watch the full Inside Texas Politics episode here:
At his news conference announcing his move, George said the Republican Party is more in line with his values of “faith, family and freedom.”
But his critics argue he only switched political parties in an effort to keep his job.
“I did not leave the Democratic Party, they left me. They said we don’t want you and you are not a spender,” George argued.
The move has major ramifications for the commissioner’s court. After the switch, the court now has a three-two split for Republicans. So, that could dramatically alter the county’s priorities. Even George calls it a “new chapter.”
Expect redistricting to come up, as it has in other areas of the state, including Tarrant County. Judge George revealed to us that they could try to “fix the maps,” as he put it, and provide what he called fair representation.
He also promised that the court would streamline spending. That will include eliminating some programs, with George specifically mentioning a summer employment program.
But Judge George, himself, could now find himself in a bit of a political pickle. Both Democrats and Republicans have called on him to resign.
The Republican Party of Texas says it doesn’t support George’s party switch, calling the move suspicious and a calculated effort to avoid accountability amid legal troubles.
Still, George plans to run for reelection next year as a Republican.
And he thinks he has a path to victory because he claims there’s a large group of voters that will follow him. He even told us many of them voted in the Republican primary, but then for him in the general.
“I strongly believe that the Republican primary voters will understand it and we will move forward from there,” George said.