In a political era marked by deep polarization, one Oregon legislator is making headlines, and waves, by walking away from the Republican Party in a deeply personal and principled move.
Oregon State Representative Cyrus Javadi, who represents the state’s 32nd district, announced last week that he is officially switching his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. In a candid and emotional essay published on Substack, Javadi explained his reasons for the switch, citing growing extremism in the GOP and his concerns over the party’s treatment of marginalized communities, including his own gay son.
“I’ve had enough,” Javadi wrote. “Enough of politics as performance art. Enough of refusing to govern. Enough of isolating vulnerable communities when it’s politically convenient.”
Javadi’s decision to change parties isn’t just symbolic, it has real legislative consequences. His switch increases the Democratic majority in the Oregon House to 37 out of 60 seats. And while Javadi insists he hasn’t changed his core beliefs, he’s made it clear that the Republican Party has changed drastically, and not for the better.
A Gradual Shift with a Clear Breaking Point
The turning point for Javadi came during Oregon’s 2025 legislative session, when he cast a series of votes that sharply diverged from his Republican colleagues. Most notably, he was the only Republican to vote in favor of a bill prohibiting discriminatory book bans, a move that earned him praise from progressive circles but ire from conservative activists.
The bill, now signed into law by Democratic Governor Tina Kotek, protects access to books in public schools that reflect the identities and experiences of LGBTQ+, Black, Muslim, and other historically marginalized students. For Javadi, the vote was personal.
“One of my kids is gay,” he revealed in his post. “And I thought about what it would mean if he went to the school library and couldn’t find a single story where someone like him existed. That’s not about being ‘woke.’ That’s about being American.”
He pushed back on GOP talking points that claimed the bill allowed “pornography in schools,” noting that parents already had avenues to challenge library materials. “The real issue,” he wrote, “was whether kids like my son could still see themselves in the books on those shelves.”
Facing Backlash and Intimidation
Javadi’s independent streak has made him a target among right-wing activists in Oregon. After his vote on the book ban legislation and his support for a resolution honoring Black drag performers, he became the subject of a heated recall campaign, launched by former supporters. Things escalated quickly.
“When I came back to work at the dental clinic on Tuesday, one of the windows had been smashed out,” he shared. “The fury wasn’t a surprise. It was a confirmation. For months now, the Republican Party’s message has been simple: we don’t care what the problem is, just vote no—or else.”
Javadi’s public safety concerns, paired with what he called the GOP’s increasing “opportunism” and “cruelty,” ultimately pushed him to leave the party.
“Many Republicans still share my values,” he admitted, “but the party apparatus is headed somewhere else entirely. I just can’t be a part of it anymore.”
Not Quite a Liberal
Despite joining the Democratic Party, Javadi is clear that he doesn’t identify as a liberal. “I didn’t binge-watch Rachel Maddow and have an epiphany,” he quipped. “I’m still the same person I’ve always been.”
His voting record reflects that nuance. In 2024, he sponsored a bill seeking to ban most abortions after 15 weeks, and he previously celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, though his Facebook post at the time included misleading claims about Oregon’s abortion laws.
Javadi also supported the recriminalization of drug possession in Oregon, leading to nearly 2,600 arrests in the past year alone. These positions have made him a controversial figure among progressive voters, even as some say they’re starting to believe he may be evolving.
A Voter’s Perspective
Ketzel Levine, an Oregon voter and former critic of Javadi’s anti-abortion stance, told the Oregon Capital Chronicle that she’s seeing a shift in his leadership.
“I’m beginning to trust him in a way that I never did before,” Levine said. “I would like to think that what I’m seeing now is a more compassionate and a more genuine representative, and not such a consummate politician.”
While she’s not ready to endorse him outright, Levine said she is open to supporting him, if he continues to back policies that reflect empathy and inclusion.
Bigger Than One Vote
Javadi’s defection marks more than a political realignment. It’s a deeply personal response to a party he says has lost its way. And in citing his gay son as a catalyst, he joins a growing list of public figures who have rejected political orthodoxy in favor of family, compassion, and common sense.
“I love my son,” he wrote. “And I refuse to be part of a movement that would tell him he’s less than. That his story doesn’t belong. That he shouldn’t be seen.”
His decision may not erase his past votes or positions, but it’s opened a new chapter in his career, and perhaps in the future of LGBTQ+ representation in state politics.
For LGBTQ+ voters and allies, Javadi’s move sends a message: Change is possible, even in places, and from people, you might not expect.
