A formerly Democratic state lawmaker in South Dakota on Monday announced she has officially changed her party affiliation to Republican, claiming that core GOP tenets better lined up with tribal sovereignty. State Rep. Peri Pourier, who is Oglala Lakota, said change was imperative in the current political landscape and that she believes the Republican Party's priorities better align with her views. The move means that there are just five Democratic lawmakers left in the state House, compared to 65 Republicans. "I represent communities where hardship is not theoretical, it is lived daily, passed down through generations," Pourier wrote in a post on Facebook. The state lawmaker said that she believes the Republican Party is the best way forward, because its core beliefs align with tribal sovereignty, while Democrats have undermined it, even if unintentionally.