Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael A. O’Pake announced Friday that he is changing his political party affiliation to Republican.

He issued a press release, stating, “As a public servant in Schuylkill County for over 30 years, I have prided myself on being fair, consistent and impartial in recommending sentences for individuals convicted of violating the law. I have always had the support of Law Enforcement during my time as District Attorney because I have been tough on crime and vigorously prosecuted those individuals that violate the law.”

He added, “Over the last two election cycles, Democrats, both nationally and even in parts of Pennsylvania, have insisted on defunding the police and decriminalizing drug crimes and quality of life violations. Instead of focusing on working people, law and order, child safety, drug-free schools, and safe neighborhoods, the new version of the Democratic Party has embraced issues that do not impact most Schuylkill County residents, such as open borders, sweeping gun control, increased taxes and other similar issues.

“Accordingly, I can no longer sit back and be affiliated with a national party which no longer supports the values which I believe in personally and professionally. I believe in backing and supporting Law Enforcement, instead of defunding it; I believe in freedom of choice when it comes to vaccines, instead of mandating vaccines; I believe in economic development and infrastructure improvements, instead of far-reaching public welfare for noncitizens; I believe in personal responsibility and the Rule of Law, instead of defunding and decriminalizing.”

He added that he supports the 2nd Amendment right of Americans to bear arms.

O’Pake said the change comes after over a year of reflection and many hours of discussions with family and friends.

“Since first taking office as Schuylkill County’s District Attorney, I have run the office in a bipartisan manner by hiring Republicans and Democrats as prosecutors and staff members. My decisions on which cases to prosecute have never been based on politics,” O’Pake said.

“My decisions on resolution of cases, likewise, has never been based on politics. I stand firm behind my record of serving the people, not politics.”

He said this change will not affect the office.

“My focus will continue to be on safe neighborhoods, drug-free schools, law and order, and a continued focus on the fight against drugs and violent crime,” O’ Pake said.

In response, Chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Committee Todd Zimmerman issued a statement. “The Schuylkill County Democratic Committee is very disappointed, but not surprised that DA Mike O’Pake has changed parties. The Republican Chamber of Commerce’s wealthy donating circle tried to seduce O’Pake to change parties four years ago. O’Pake assured the committee that he was a committed Democrat and eventually ran unopposed.”

Zimmerman disputed O’Pake’s comments about the national Democratic Party.

“We are not for defunding the police. It was Trump supporters who stormed the capital and wounded the Capitol police. Hundreds of insurrectionists were arrested and convicted by local juries.”

He added, “We also need a strong FBI to combat foreign and domestic terrorists, as the incidents on New Years in New Orleans and Las Vegas make tragically clear. Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the FBI, has said he wants to blow it up. To me, that is defunding the police.”

He added, “We all want a secure border. However, only Congress has the power to fix immigration ... Due to our declining birthrate, we need legal immigrants. Many immigrants perform low skill and paying jobs behind the scenes in restaurants, warehouses, nursing, etc. Local businesses will be hurt when Trump’s mass deportation plans are enacted.”

He also addressed child safety and gun reform are linked. “We all want our schools to be safe. We are no longer crawling under our desks to protect ourselves from a hypothetical nuclear attack. Instead, our children and grandchildren are being trained to cope with an active shooter. The majority of Americans want solid background checks. They also believe that military style weapons, such as the AR-15 should not be in the hands of the average American.

“Common ground can also be found on Constitutional changes for term and age limits to prevent career politicians,” Zimmerman said.

He addressed NAFTA and the trade agreement with China. “No one is complaining about American jobs going to Canada. They have the same standard of living as Americans. Instead, we should focus on trade agreements with Europe, Japan, and Australia, etc. They can afford American products. President Biden has lowered prices for insulin and this year more medicines will be cheaper. He also has invested in the US via the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Bill, and Chips Act, and manufacturing jobs have come back to the US.”

“And after what he said about Democrats, he is unlikely to get much, if any, support from us,” Zimmerman concluded.