Audrey McNeal, a former delegate for the Democratic National Convention (DNC), has announced in a video released on Friday that she is officially joining the Republican Party. McNeal, who was previously a DNC delegate for both the 2020 and 2024 elections, declared that she will now be voting for the Trump-Vance ticket in the upcoming election.
In the video, McNeal, 22, explains that she was elected as a DNC delegate at the age of 18 and was excited to attend the convention to seek answers on important issues such as free speech, the border, and the economy. However, she soon became disillusioned after attending the DNC.
“After reflecting on my time at the DNC, I realized it was no longer the party of free speech and civil liberties that it used to be,” McNeal said. She added that the decision to install Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee without the democratic process, despite calls from prominent Democrats like former President Barack Obama for an open primary, was a clear example of this.
“For the rulers of the Democratic Party elite to install Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee via stripping the vote of 14 million Americans, including their own delegates such as myself, well that was a decision in a transaction that was concealed,” McNeal stated.
McNeal then announced that she has officially joined the Republican Party as a constitutional conservative. She expressed her excitement to be a part of the party and joins other young delegates who share her values.
I was a lifelong democrat, elected to the DNC twice.
I’m voting Trump/Vance in November and joining the Republican party as a Constitutional conservative –
we have to conserve the freedoms (1A & 2A) we already have outlined in our Constitution. pic.twitter.com/pMk6wMwlx4
— Audrey (@Audreyjmcneal) October 26, 2024
Before her defection from the Democratic Party, McNeal had previously told GPB in August about the empowering experience of being among other young delegates at the DNC. She spoke about the support that she and her peers provided to each other in terms of campaigning and attending events together.
#ICYMI This year, 15 of Georgia’s 123 DNC delegates are under 35.
Audrey McNeal is one of those delegates. She lives in Fulton County and said it's "empowering" to be around other young delegates at the DNC. https://t.co/fG9YYgBOFh (From @gpbnews)
— GPB (@mygpb) August 23, 2024
However, since joining the Republican Party, McNeal has made a new X account and has been vocal in her support for Trump. Her first post on Saturday quote-tweeted a clip teasing Trump’s podcast interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
McNeal also shared a quote from US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, stating, “‘It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears.'” This quote clearly shows her belief in the importance of free speech, a belief that she believes is not upheld by the Democratic Party.
“It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears” – Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Justice https://t.co/R7Xx8XybGe
— Audrey (@Audreyjmcneal) October 26, 2024
Her actions and statements speak for themselves, as she has made the decision to switch parties and pledge her support for Trump. McNeal’s story is just one example of Gen Z members rejecting the Democratic Party and joining the Republican Party, further strengthening Trump’s base of support.