A Pennsylvania sheriff spoke out on Monday to reveal that he switched from being a Democrat to being a Republican due to the “shift in ideals of the Democratic Party at the national level,” including a “socialist agenda.”

Fayette County Sheriff James Custer explained to “Fox & Friends” that he made the decision to switch to the Republican Party after considering doing so for several months. In the end, the left’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic was what made him make the switch.

“It probably started back when the pandemic started and the mandates coming down by the Democratic governors,” Custer said, adding that he believes that these orders “are unconstitutional.”

Not stopping there, Custer said that as a sheriff, it is his “duty” to “protect, serve and uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States” and he believes the “mandates being brought down on our citizens” are “unconstitutional.” He added that there is an importance to “being able to protect their rights and freedoms under the Constitution.”

This comes one week after Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Tom Wolf put new COVID-19 restrictions on the state, banning indoor dining and closing gyms, theaters and other indoor entertainment for three weeks. He also limited gathering sizes to 10 people inside and 50 outdoors, additionally banning spectators from attending in-person professional and collegiate sports.

Custer went on to say that the “defund the police” movement was “a definite factor” in his decision to leave the Democratic Party.

“Starting back from the George Floyd incident and all the civil unrest and the calls for ‘abolish the police,’ ‘defund the police’ that was part of factoring in to my decision that, ‘hey, this is not what I signed up for,’” the sheriff said.

Custer then said that there are “plenty of people out there that are backing us” and that is why he was one of the many sheriffs in Pennsylvania who publicly endorsed “President Trump as our law and order president.”

“That was part of the movement, a big part of it at the time,” he said.

This piece was written by James Samson on December 14, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Meet The Republican Woman Who Gave Pelosi What’s Being Described As Her ‘Most Bitter Loss’
VA Gov. Northam Announces New Restrictions: You Don’t Have To Sit In Church For God To Hear Your Prayers
Former Advisor To Andrew Cuomo Claims He Sexually Harassed Her ‘For Years’

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Steve Gruber.