The Right Decision

Is this the beginning of a trend?

This week, party switching once again dominated Georgia politics. However, some view Ashley Bell's move from the Democratic to Republican Party as the most significant switch of them all. Bell, a Hall County Commissioner, is African-American.

Bell made it official this week. But the Gainesville native says he's always been conservative.

"As I saw the party become more liberal, I became less involved in the Democratic Party," said Bell.

Bell held Democratic leadership positions on the state and national level. But he stopped actively participating two years ago when he was elected to the Hall County Commission. In that position, Bell says his fiscally conservative approach clashed with Democrats.

"I had to make the decision that if I'm going to be arguing with Democrats at some point I realized I might as well do it as a Republican," said Bell.

Bell admits his switch raised eye brows in both parties because he's black.

"Some folks in the Democratic Party are more upset with me about switching because of my race and I think some people in the Republican Party may be more excited about me switching because of my race," said Bell.

Best of luck to Ashley Bell--he's guaranteed to keep the American political conversation interesting.