Hawaii lawmaker switches to Democrat after criticizing Trump
A Hawaii lawmaker who was ousted from her leadership post in the Republican Party after criticizing President Donald Trump has been accepted by the state's Democrats.
Posted — UpdatedThe Democratic Party of Hawaii announced Monday that a committee voted to accept Rep. Beth Fukumoto Chang over the weekend.
Fukumoto was minority leader in the Hawaii House and was considered a rising star in the Republican Party. But she upset her Republican colleagues when she called Trump a bully and said his comments were racist at the Women's March in Honolulu in January.
The unanimous vote is the final step for Fukumoto to become a Democrat. That leaves just five Republicans out of 76 lawmakers in the Hawaii Legislature.
Fukumoto sought feedback from constituents before switching parties and says most supported her move.
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