Doral Vice Mayor leaves Democratic Party, joins GOP

Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras is a Democrat no more.

Porras has jumped ship and joined the Republican Party. She’s the third Florida Democrat to do so since the 2024 General Election — after state Reps. Susan Valdés and Hillary Cassel — and the first from Miami-Dade.

The Floridian first reported on Porras’ flip Wednesday. In an interview with the outlet, she cited “socialist ideas” some Democrats have embraced and Donald Trump’s victory as factoring into the move.

She plans to hold a press conference later this week to formally announce her party switch. Florida Politics contacted Porras’ Office for comment but could not immediately reach her. This report will be updated if she gives a response.

It took little time for the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) to celebrate its latest acquisition.

“There is an alarming vacuum of support for individual liberty within the Florida Democratic Party, which is why you are seeing a third elected official change their party affiliation to the Republican Party since November,” RPOF Chair Evan Power said in a prepared statement.

“We welcome Vice Mayor Maureen Porras to the Republican Party of Florida and look forward to working with her and all our Republican elected officials in Miami-Dade to support the principles, policies, and values that help Florida thrive and remain free.”

Kevin Cooper, the recently elected Chair of the Miami-Dade GOP, said Porras expressed what several other elected Democrats in the county have told him in private. They believe the Democratic Party no longer represents their values, he said, pointing to President Joe Biden’s permissive policies in Latin America and increased antisemitism following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

“Maureen is the first to say the quiet part out loud,” Cooper told Florida Politics. “The reality is that Democrats are weak because they’re no longer talking about issues people care about. The party she subscribed to at 19 doesn’t exist anymore.”

Porras, 36, works as the Director of Immigration Legal Services for the Doral-based Church World Service. She won Seat 2 on the Doral Council in December 2022, just under two years after mounting an unsuccessful House bid.

Last month, Porras sued Doral over a recent change to her Vice Mayor title — which she received as part of a rotating designation among Council members — that weakened her powers in the role. She claimed the change was politically motivated and stemmed from clashes she’s had with Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, now a fellow Republican.

Porras was born in Nicaragua and immigrated to Miami-Date at 7. She earned her Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University. While there, she interned with former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Porras is married to Caleb Johnston, who in November swore in as a Magistrate for the 17th Judicial Circuit.