Iraq war veteran running for Congress switched parties after shutdown

Vet candidate switches parties, cites shutdown
Navy Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
November 4, 2013

An Iraq war veteran running for Congress has abruptly switched political parties, saying the Republican role in forcing a 17-day government shutdown has made him decide to run as a Democrat.

Jason R. Thigpen, a six-year Army veteran and former staff sergeant who was a gun truck commander on convoy security in Iraq from December 2008 to January 2010, is running for the North Carolina congressional seat held by Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Thigpen had been running as a Republican but on Thursday announced on his blog he had changed his mind after talking with his wife, Tiffany, an active-duty Marine stationed at Camp Lejuene, N.C.

That installation is part of the congressional district that also includes the New River and Cherry Point Marine Corps air stations.

North Carolina’s party primaries to determine who will be on the ballot for the November 2014 general elections will not be held until May.

“I’ve decided to run as a Democrat rather than a Republican,” Thigpen said. “I simply cannot stand with a party [whose] most extreme element promotes hate and division amongst people. Nothing about my platform has, nor will it change. The government shutdown was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.
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