Gloria J. Romero (born July 10,1955) is a former California state senator from 2001 until 2010 and was the Democraticmajority leader of the California State Senate from 2005 until 2008. She was the first woman to hold that leadership position. In 2024,she joined the Republican Party.[1]
In 2008,Romero stepped down as Majority Leader and became chairman of the Education Committee.[2] In that position,she authored and guided to passage a fiercely contested[3] "parent trigger" law that allows a majority of parents in a "failing school" to vote on a method to restructure the school.[4]
Post-legislative career and charter school industry support
Romero led the California chapter of Democrats for Education Reform,a reform wing of the Democratic Party supporting privatization of public schools. In the 2012 election,she supported California's Prop. 32 that would bar workers from donating to their unions' Political Action Committees (PACs) using payroll deductions.[2] She founded Scholarship Prep Charter School,which enrolls TK-8th grade students in low income communities.
On September 4,2024,Romero left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party.[12] She gave many reasons for her switch in parties,including her disagreement with the Democratic Party's positions on crime,gender identity,COVID-19 lockdowns,gas stoves and school choice. In a press conference,Romero endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election and offered praise for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,calling him a "personal hero".[13]
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