Free Republic

(2009-05-06) — Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who last week became a Democrat to boost his odds of winning re-election, again shocked the political world when he announced today that he had switched from Judaism to Christianity in hopes of regaining the seniority which the senate stripped from him Tuesday.

Not that anybody asked, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Friday that despite the superficial parallels between him and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, he has no plans to change parties and become a Democrat. "I was one of the first supporters of the Obama stimulus plan, even though I'm a Republican. I'm one of those few Republicans that jumped out and supported him. Right along with Arlen Specter, Senator Arlen Specter," the governor said in a speech to AltaMed's National Healthcare Reform Policy Forum in Beverly Hills. "And the reason why I mention that is because I just want...

Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party is prompting his campaign donors large and small to demand their money back, including several Republican senators whose political action committees gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Pennsylvania lawmaker. Sen. Johnny Isakson didn't waste any time putting himself at the front of the refund line. The Georgia Republican asked Mr. Specter for a return of his leadership political action committee's $5,000 contribution Tuesday on the Senate floor - just hours after Mr. Specter announced he was changing his political stripes. "Senator Specter readily agreed to return the contribution," said Isakson...

"I was apprehensive about running on the Republican [ticket]," Arlen Specter writes about his virgin foray into politics in Philadelphia in 1965. It "was almost like changing my religion." In fact, he says "the decision was even tougher." Specter later explains his admiration for Franklin Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. Becoming a Republican was a source of "trauma" for the District Attorney candidate. Looking back at Specter's record 40 years later, one wonders why Specter became a Republican. His lifetime American Conservative Union voting record is 43%, which means, even in this partisan Senate, there are more Democrats...

Rattled by the defection of Jim Jeffords in 2001, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter proposed changing the Senate rules to diminish the impact of Senators switching party mid-session -- as he did today. Specter took to the floor to express his unhappiness with Jeffords' move, and to suggest a rule -- which was never put into place -- "which would preclude a recurrence of this situation" in which a single Senator's move shifted control of the body. (Specter's move today didn't have that effect.) Here's the relevant portion of Specter's May 14, 2001 speech, which was unearthed by POLITICO's Eamon Javers:...

When Jim Jeffords, the Vermont Republican became an independent, Specter lost a committee chairmanship in the Senate's resulting power shift. An angry Specter proposed a ban on such party switches. http://www.butasforme.com/2009/04/28/specter-proposed-a-ban-on-party-switches-when-jim-jeffords-made-one-in-2001/

Elba's Jimmy Holley expected to announce decision Jan. 10 MONTGOMERY - A veteran Democratic senator will switch to the Republican Party, but his move won't affect the Democrats' stranglehold on the Alabama Senate. Sen. Jimmy Holley of Elba is expected to announce his decision at a news conference in his hometown on Jan. 10. Neither Holley nor Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, who is chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, would officially confirm Holley's switch Wednesday. But Hubbard called it "the worst-kept secret in the state." Holley, 63, who has served in the Alabama Legislature for 30 years, joined the GOP...

LEAKESVILE, Miss. - State Sen. James "Shannon" Walley of Leakesville, elected as a Democrat in 2003, said Thursday that he has qualified for re-election as a Republican. Walley represents Senate District 43, which includes all of Greene County and parts of Forrest, George, Perry and Wayne counties. "When I got to the Senate, I found myself voting more with the Republicans than with members of my own party. I realized that my beliefs were more in line with the Republican Party, and I need to stay true to myself and what is best for my district," Walley said in a...

HELENA, Mont. - A Montana state senator has officially changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, breaking a tie to give his new party a 26-24 advantage.

Desperate to hold on to Congress amid declining polls, enveloping scandals and the deeply unpopular Iraq war, Republicans are trying a new tactic in 2006. They are running as Democrats. Around the U.S., suspiciously recent converts are showing up as Democrats in races for the House and the Senate.

DAYTON — State Rep. Dixie Allen of Jefferson Twp. switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican Friday and plans to screen Saturday for an appointment to take over the Montgomery County Commission seat of recently retired Vicki Pegg. State Rep. John White of Kettering, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, said Allen "is the favorite and front-runner" for the county commission appointment because of her experience and "the level of respect she has earned as a legislator and community activist." Allen, a retired Wright-Patterson Air Force Base manager, has been a member of the Ohio House of Representatives...

HUMBOLDT, Tenn. (AP) - Democratic state Senator Don McLeary of Humboldt switched parties this afternoon to the Republicans. The change will give Republicans an edge of 18-to-15 in the Senate. McLeary said it was a hard decision, but his heart tells him it's the right one. McLeary is the only person to file for candidacy in the his district, which covers Madison, Gibson and Carroll counties. He said it's not titles that are important, but actions.

APPLETON (Jan 3): Rep. Barbara Merrill Monday informed her constituents in Maine House District 44, and the leaders of the Maine House of Representatives, that she has unenrolled from the Democratic Party. As a result, the Democrats have 73 members, the Republicans 73, the independents four and the Greens one in the Maine House of Representatives. In her letter to her constituents, Merrill wrote, "I do not take this step lightly or without long consideration. I have talked directly with many of you about the concerns which have led me to this action, and I know that many support my...

What I have been doing is exploring the possibility of running," he said. "I've been traveling around the state, going to Republican functions to meet with county chairs and party activists."

In addition to Hafer, George Matta, the Allegheny County clerk of courts, said he hopes to make a decision soon on whether to enter the race.

Clarion County District Attorney Mark Aaron announced Monday he is changing to a Republican party affiliation...Aaron, a native of Limestone Township, added he found it difficult to gather support for his objectives through his current affiliation.

(paraphrase) Pelosi takes over the Congress, several conservative Democrats are expected to cross over to the Republicans. Republicans are courting ...