<p>A New Jersey state senator says he is leaving the Republican Party to become a Democrat as he seeks re-election this year.</p>
<p>Samuel Thompson, an 87-year-old who has been a state senator for more than a decade, claims he made the decision because GOP leaders &#8220;abandoned&#8221; him. He says ageism is to blame.</p>
<p>“Do I want to stay with people that want to cut my throat like that?” he told reporters, <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/how-is-trenton-reacting-to-sam-thompsons-party-switch-cautiously/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the New Jersey Globe</a>, which described the senator as being a conservative who is pro-life, pro-gun, and a supporter of former President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Thompson said the GOP chairman in Middlesex County, which takes up part of the state senator&#8217;s legislative district, suggested he was “too old and might die in office.”</p>
<p>The chairman, Rob Bengivenga, denied making those comments, <a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/02/14/senators-party-switch-is-a-naked-move-to-cling-to-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per the New Jersey Monitor</a>. However, Bengivenga did indicate the party was interested in getting a fresh face into the state Senate.</p>
<p>“I was hoping the Senator would embrace it and work together as a mentor and advisor for the years to come,” he said in an emailed statement <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-jersey-state-senator-says-leaving-gop-join-democrats-rcna70525" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported by the Associated Press</a>.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry, 63, <a href="https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/nj-senate-12th-distrcit-owen-henry-sam-thompson/69860352007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced he would compete</a> against Thompson in the June GOP primary for New Jersey&#8217;s 12th legislative district.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unclear what the Democrats&#8217; primary field will look like, but members of the party celebrated the prospect of adding to their majority in the state Senate.</p>
<p>“The Democratic Party has always been a big tent party, and I welcome Senator Thompson to our ranks,” <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/governor/murphy-welcomes-thompson-to-the-democratic-party-but-doesnt-endorse-him/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said Governor Phil Murphy</a>.</p>
<p>Despite the party swap, Thompson insists that he won&#8217;t change his voting habits.</p>
<p>“I am not a liberal; I’d put myself as a moderate conservative,” <a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/legislature/how-is-trenton-reacting-to-sam-thompsons-party-switch-cautiously/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thompson said</a>. “I will continue to vote the way that I vote – that is to say, from a moderate conservative position … I just got done meeting with the Democrats, and we didn’t seem to have any problems.”</p>

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87-Year-Old New Jersey State Senator Says He Is Leaving GOP To Become A Democrat

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87-Year-Old New Jersey State Senator Says He Is Leaving GOP To Become A Democrat