DALLAS — Tuesday night, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson addressed Republicans at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"Today, I'm the proud republican mayor of Dallas, Texas!" he told the crowd, which met him with loud cheers. "The largest city in the United States led by a Republican!"
Mayor Johnson, once a longtime Democrat, made a high-profile party switch last year. Johnson focused his speech on crime, keeping in line with Tuesday's theme 'Make America Safe Once Again.'
"I grew up in high crime neighborhoods, what we wanted was more and better policing not less," he said. "As mayor, I knew we need to increase support for our police department and prioritize violent crime reduction."
Mayor Johnson was highly critical of his former party.
"Democrats in power demonstrate they don’t care about stopping the killers and thieves who terrorize black and brown families," he said. "They don’t care about securing our border, and they don’t care about dangerous homeless encampments...On matters of public safety, the democrats were never actually there for me, Dallas families or the American people."
By Wednesday morning, Dallas democrats began to weigh in on the mayor's speech.
"His actions are just self-serving, that’s what we’ve come to know," Kardal Coleman, Chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party said in an interview.
Coleman told WFAA he believes Johnson would never have been elected mayor had he run as a Republican. "A lot of voters felt they were betrayed," he said.
Coleman also said Johnson's speech unfairly characterized Democrats as not caring about crime.
"He has the right to be a Republican, but I think honesty and integrity matters in his politics. I think the mayor used his four minutes to talk about nothing, and I think he’s used the last four years to do nothing."
Councilmembers who serve alongside the mayor also weighed in on his RNC speech.
On Facebook, city council member Adam Bazaldua wrote, "Breaking News- our mayor can’t make news for actually being a mayor with a vision for Dallas, so he continues his narcissistic roadshow to talk about himself and spin truths for the attention and press he doesn’t get at home. At least he’s in good company now!"
In a statement sent directly to WFAA, council member Jamie Resendez shared the following statement:
"I am disappointed by the mayor's remarks at the RNC. While everyone has the right to change their political affiliations, it is concerning to see him make dishonest and inflammatory generalizations about Democrats, especially when so many of our city's voters support Democratic values. Additionally, most of our city council identifies as Democrat, and our city operates under a weak mayor system. The progress we have made in terms of public safety is the result of collaborative efforts by the entire council, not the actions of one individual. The mayor’s attempt to take sole credit for these achievements is deceitful and self-serving. Honesty about our backgrounds and experiences is also crucial. While the mayor’s claim of growing up in a crime-ridden neighborhood is valid, he omits that attending an elite private school sheltered him from many of the daily challenges that Dallas residents faced and continue to face today. It’s disheartening to see such a lack of transparency from someone in a position of leadership. Serving alongside the mayor has been one of the biggest disappointments of my career. His actions demonstrate a concerning pattern of prioritizing personal ambition over genuine public service. Our city deserves leaders who are honest and dedicated to the well-being of all residents, not just those who serve their political interests. My focus remains on working collaboratively with elected officials and all members of our community to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents."
Mayor Johnson's team did not respond to a request Wednesday for an interview request. In September, when he announced he was switching to the Republican party, he was met with enthusiasm from Republicans, including Governor Greg Abbott.
Abbott wrote then on X, formerly Twitter, "Texas is getting more Red every day. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson switches to Republican Party. He’s pro law enforcement & won’t tolerate leftist agendas. Two of the 10 largest cities in America now have Republican Mayors & they are both in Texas."