Abrams joins the Democratic Party

Longtime activist has ‘‘bad taste” for current GOP leadership

Abrams, a former GOP county chairman and a sitting school board member, began to sour on the GOP last year.

A dispute with a fellow Central Committee member, which led to criminal assault charges that were later dropped, and dissatisfaction with how the state GOP ran last year’s election campaigns prompted his decision, Abrams said.

‘‘There was a bad taste left after everything that happened with the current crop of folks that call themselves Republicans,” he said. ‘‘I’ve not set foot near the Republican Party since this got started, one out of concern for my own safety and two just absolute disgust with the actions of the leadership of that party.”

Abrams is one of only two Republicans to hold countywide office in Montgomery; the other is school board member Sharon W. Cox.

Cox, who confirmed she is a Republican, said her party affiliation — and Abrams’ — is irrelevant because the school board is nonpartisan. ‘‘The Republican Central Committee is moribund, and if Mr. Abrams has an interest in being active in politics, this decision probably serves him well,” she said.

Montgomery County GOP President Tom Reinheimer said the party officials already had planned to kick Abrams off the committee since he had not appeared at a meeting in months.

‘‘He’s free to go where he wants to go,” Reinheimer said. ‘‘He had kind of made that threat before. As far as I can tell, no one on the Democrats want him either.”

The county GOP sent Abrams a letter requiring him to show cause as to why he should not be replaced on the central committee. Abrams was re-elected to the central committee in September.

The vacancy will be advertised and an election held, Reinheimer said. ‘‘As far as the Montgomery County Republican Party, we’re not going to miss him.”

The news shocked Democrats.

‘‘I’m speechless,” said Karen Britto, chairwoman of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.

‘‘We have a big tent,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman. ‘‘We welcome anybody and everybody into our tent. It’s nice when people see the light sooner rather than later, but later is better than never.”

Abrams said he did not want to register as an independent because he wants to remain active in the political process and in Maryland independents do not get to vote in the primaries.

‘‘I have a lot of friends in the local Democratic Party here and who supported me in my efforts, but more importantly I’m a big fan of [U.S. Sen.] Joe Lieberman [of Connecticut] and I’m a big fan of [County Executive] Ike Leggett,” Abrams said.

Abrams has not decided if he will run for office as a Democrat, but he knows he won’t be going back to the Republican Party.

‘‘The days of the [former congresswoman Constance A.] Morella ... and Abrams and the Republican Party are over,” he said.