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Rep Julien On Potential Party Switch: 'I'm Not Leaving The Party. The Dem Party Left Me.'

A Florida lawmaker says he is now ready to concede defeat in the primary election, and is stopping efforts to challenge a ballot count. Democratic Representative John Patrick Julien of Miami says he’s now also seriously thinking about switching parties, but it's not a concrete decision as yet.

Julien says he’s seriously thinking of switching parties, but it’s not a concrete decision as yet:

"I understand that making a party switch, it also means that I would never be able to run for political office again, and when I make that decision, there's going to be a whole bunch of things that are going to go into making that decision," said Julien.

“Leaving the Democratic Party does not mean that I would go to the Republican Party. I could possibly go Independent. But, I don’t believe that I would be leaving the Democratic Party, I believe the Democratic Party has left me by not respecting me as an individual.”

Julien says during his time in the Florida Legislature, the Democratic Party was not happy by several of his votes, like when he voted in favor of school voucher programs.

Meanwhile, Julien was also embroiled in a battle with Representative Barbara Watson, over their newly drawn House District seat. At issue was 16 contested ballots in the primary race, which Julien lost, and landed both in court. A judge decided in favor of Watson, and Julien, at first, planned to take the matter up with the Florida Legislature. But, he has since decided against it.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on twitter @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.