New Hampshire state Rep. Dale Girard on Monday announced that he had switched his party registration from Democrat to Republican.

Girard has served in the state House since 2024 and is also the mayor of Claremont, NH, albeit in a non-partisan capacity.

"This morning, I went to Claremont City Hall and officially changed my party affiliation to the Republican Party," he posted on Facebook. "This decision came after a great deal of thought and consideration. I want to be clear—this is not a reflection of any issue I have with Democratic Party leadership. However, during my time serving as a Representative in Concord, I came to realize that my personal ideologies did not align as closely with the party as I once believed."

"Over the years, many have described me as a 'Blue Dog Democrat,' a label more common in the Kennedy era than in today’s political climate," he added. "My voting record over the past two years has often aligned more closely with Republican positions, and this change reflects that reality."

"Blue Dog Democrats" refer to a more conservative wing of lawmakers within the party, though it has more recently positioned itself as centrist in ideology. The Blue Dog Coalition is an official caucus in the national House.

Switching parties is fairly uncommon for incumbent lawmakers. One recent example was Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who flipped to the Republican sin 2019 after opposing the impeachment of President Donald Trump. He was later reelected as a Republican.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.