Rep Ritter: "And then I told Aaron, 'Good luck being Sunday's headliner!" Credit: Photo courtesy of Allan Ritter campaign

If Rep. Aaron Pena hoped he was going to be the first rat to jump ship, tough luck: Rep. Allan Ritter, D-Nederland, had announced he is quitting the Democratic party and joining the House Republicans, giving them the supermajority they craved.

Here’s Ritter’s statement:

In order to best reflect the views of the majority of the people of District 21, I have decided to change my party affiliation. I believe this will allow me to more accurately and effectively represent my constituents while addressing the challenges facing our state. There will be a formal announcement this Tuesday in Austin.

He’s also told KFDM news that in the last decade his district went “from a solid Democratic district to a solid Republican district.”

Hmm. Time for some fact checking. In the last election:

1: Jefferson county returned two Democratic state reps, Ritter and his neighbor Joe Deshotel.

2: Jefferson voters broke 50.47% for Gov. Rick Perry, 48.15% for Bill White. So White actually performed better there than he did statewide, where he only got 42.28%.

3: According to the Jefferson County Clerk, there were more straight-ticket voting Democrats than Republicans.

This article appears in December 10 • 2010.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.