I don't understand why she suddenly said "I'm a Democrat." What would be the reason why she mentioned it?

Rebecca

So, the majority of people in Tennessee are "republicans" and not "democrats". Here I believe she's alluding to the fact that she's liberal with her views and beliefs! Which could oppose the conservative views of Mrs. Tuohy. I see this as slightly comedic since the audience expects her to say something really serious or controversial when she says, "there's something you should know about me", but then she just states that she's a democrat. Mrs. Tuohy seems confused by this too! Ex: There's something you should know, Jim. I ate all the ice cream in the freezer last night. Ex: Can we talk? We have a huge issue. We can't go to the beach tomorrow since it's raining!