MONTICELLO – Retired Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda has changed his party enrollment from Democrat to Republican.
He filed the paperwork with the board of elections on Thursday with the change taking effect immediately.
LaBuda, who stepped down from the bench because of the state’s 70-year age limit, said philosophical differences led to his change of registration.
“Today there is a public safety crisis in our nation in our state and in our county, and today my values and principles that have guided me throughout my whole life, whether it is a soldier overseas, whether it’s a prosecutor in Sullivan Count, or whether it is the judge for the past two decades and most importantly, as a father, are not aligned with the current trend in the Democratic Party,” he said.
LaBuda said the Democratic Party leadership “has drifted far to the left and far afield from my values and my concerns for all of us.”
The former judge, who has been rumored to consider running for Sullivan County District Attorney this fall, said he is weighing all options about his political future.
