Posted on 08/01/2007 1:26:30 PM PDT by SConservative
JEFFERSON CITY — Chris Koster, a Republican state senator and champion of stem cell research, is expected to announce today that he is switching to the Democratic Party.
Koster, a candidate for attorney general next year, will hold news conferences in Columbia, Harrisonville and St. Louis. In a news release, he promised "a speech that may transform the political landscape of Missouri."
Koster, of Harrisonville near Kansas City, resigned late Tuesday as chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus. His resignation letter, hand-delivered by Koster's secretary to the office of Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, gave no explanation.
Koster's campaign spokeswoman, Elisabeth Smith, would not confirm that he is leaving the GOP. But Smith's association with Koster was itself a signal: Smith worked for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, in the 2006 campaign.
-- CLIP
Koster was calling major donors Tuesday to alert them to his plans. By late afternoon, word had spread to Democratic operatives. Mike Kelley, a Democratic consultant, said he had "heard it too many places for it not to be true."
Koster could have had trouble winning a Republican statewide primary because of his strong stance favoring embryonic stem cell research.
-- CLIP
If Koster becomes a Democrat, control of the Senate will not change. Republicans outnumber Democrats 20-13. There is one vacancy, a St. Charles County seat vacated this summer by Republican Chuck Gross.
Kelley, the Democratic consultant, said he hoped Koster would run for re-election to his Senate seat instead of seeking the attorney general's post.
"If he is truly switching parties because he's upset with (Gov.) Matt Blunt, the best way to show it is to help us take the Senate back from Republicans," Kelley said.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
LOL--I've come to believe that at least some of the 06 losses are due to the Rovian National Committee engineering the defeats, so that Bush could have a "congress he can work with" in shoving amnesty down our throats...
Remember how Tony Snow rejoiced the morning after the election?
IOW--the donations I made to the RNC went to elect Democrats.
“integrity”?
There ya go bringing in words that Democrats and RINOs cant spell or understand..
You meany...
“Koster was a Republican?”
Yes and now he wants to jump ship, because he’s an opportunist.
Nixon is running for governor.
My fault, was thinking about the AG race (blush!)
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