San Diego, Calif.- San Diego City Councilman Mark Kersey announced on his Twitter page he is shifting political parties from Republican to Independent.

Kersey wrote the highly partisan state of both major political parties dissuaded him from identifying with either one. He also said the decision is one he has been “wrestling with” for a while.

“Make no mistake: both parties have plenty of good and decent members,” Kersey said. “But today’s political climate rewards ideologues, not problem-solvers. I ran for office to rebuild San Diego, not localize the debate over federal and state partisan malice.”

CA Independent Voter Growth

As reported extensively on IVN and IVN San Diego, NPP voters in San Diego County have surpassed the number of registered Republicans.

The numbers are in line with the state numbers as reported by IVN last May, although NPP voters have increased gains over Republicans since that time.

Here are the latest voter registration statistics as reported by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters:

648,492 Democrat

564,810 NPP or Independent

491,088 Republican

"Reaching across the aisle for real progress is now a dinosaur. The voter sees this and is turned off. This is why you see so much defection from the parties and in the case of new voters, about a two to one ratio, choosing NPP over an established political party." - Jeff Marston, co-chair Independent Voter Project

Jeff Marston is co-chair of the Independent Voter Project (IVP). Marston credits the surge in “no party preference” voters to a lack of enthusiasm in the two-party system. “Frankly, voters have been turned off by the rancor we see at all levels of government. There is no cooperation, there is no compromise, just intense competition and in fact, and at times, all out war. It’s about scoring points with your perceived core constituencies and nothing more. Reaching across the aisle for real progress is now a dinosaur. The voter sees this and is turned off. This is why you see so much defection from the parties and in the case of new voters, about a two to one ratio, choosing NPP over an established political party.”

Next Move For Kersey

Kersey has yet to announce his next move after leaving the council, but he has been rumored to be mulling a run for mayor of San Diego, a race that already includes fellow City Councilwoman Barbara Bry and Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego.

IVN San Diego has reached out to Councilman Kersey for an interview.

The race to succeed Kersey in City Council District 5 includes Deputy City Attorney Marni von Wilpert and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Patrick Batten.

City Council District 5 includes northern parts of the city like Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain, Scripps Ranch and San Pasqual.

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