Brian Announces He is Leaving the Republican Party

Brian announced that he is leaving the Republican Party. See his full statement below. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: BRIAN ALLEN LEAVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

October 6^th, 2021 – Statement by Brian Allen

Since I entered the Congressional race individuals have called me a RINO (Republican in Name Only) or said, “You should run as a Democrat.” My response is to ask why they believe someone who supports free market economics, limited government, strong national defense, and the second amendment is not a “real” Republican. No one has yet answered that question.

I entered this race with a belief that those who say the most outrageous things get the attention, but surely many Republicans do not hold such views. Republicans historically work to prevent government intrusion into the private lives of individuals, but the past several weeks have seen Republicans in Pennsylvania issue subpoenas to acquire the personal information of voters and Republicans in Texas pass a law incentivizing reporting on neighbors even without first-hand knowledge of a crime being committed. Republicans champion the rights of businesses, but some have now introduced legislation to compel technology companies and larger corporations to comply with their “culture war” ideas.

Perhaps most disconcerting is the assault Republicans have made on the Constitution. Republicans uphold the original meaning of the Constitution and the intent of the founders. Flimsy, and in many cases outright false, allegations of fraud were held out as true and fueled an attack on our Capitol to halt our Constitutional process. Instead of disowning and disassociating themselves from such a clear and present threat to our nation, many Republicans minimized and dismissed it. Those Republicans who maintained their oath to the Constitution and refused to sanction the events of January 6^th were marginalized or called “spies” for the Democrats. Reliable Republican voices, such as Liz Cheney, with a 93% conservative voting record, and Anthony Gonzalez, with an 89% conservative voting record, essentially were told they are no longer wanted because they upheld their oath to defend the Constitution.

Despite the events of the past year, a recent poll showed that 66% of Pennsylvania Republicans would support whichever candidates Donald Trump endorses, with only 27% stating they would not. The events of past weeks, including polls such as this, have made it clear that the Republican Party of which I have been a member since I was 18-years-old no longer exists. It has been replaced by a populist form of demagoguery that devalues science, morality, and traditional conservative principles, while emphasizing emotional outrage, provocation of fear, and a belief that the Constitution is only to be defended when it serves the desired purpose.

My campaign has been focused on bringing truth, integrity, and respect back to our government. The truth is, I am no longer a Republican based on what that means in our current political climate. Integrity demands that I announce such a determination and state that I will not seek the Republican nomination for the 10^th Congressional District. As for the campaign, my policy positions certainly do not qualify me as a Democrat and it is exceedingly difficult to win an election as an independent. For the time being, we will await the re-drawing of district lines before making any definitive conclusions on the fate of the campaign.

In closing, thank you all for your support to this point. America is a better nation when we respect one another and engage in our civic duties in good faith. I sincerely believe that we eventually will emerge from the troubled times in which we find ourselves and that version of America will return.

Wishing you all the best,

Brian