LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, a longtime Democrat, says she is switching to the Republican Party because she feels abandoned by Democrats.

Davis' made the announcement while in Washington, D.C., to attend the Family Research Council's Value Voters Summit, Liberty Counsel spokeswoman Charla Bansley said Friday. Liberty Counsel represents Davis in her legal battles.

Davis sparked a national firestorm by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. She was ordered by a federal judge to issue the licenses and spent five days in jail for continuing to defy the order, propelling her to folk hero status among some on the religious right.

She was elected Rowan County clerk last fall as a Democrat. She replaced her mother, also a Democrat, who served as county clerk for 37 years.