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发帖数: 29846 | 1 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/03/state-lawmakers-bolt-democratic-party-election-day/
Adding insult to injury for their party, at least 13 Democratic state
lawmakers have joined the Republican ranks since Election Day -- deepening
GOP gains and in one case handing the party the state House majority.
Democrats in five states have switched parties since Nov. 2, citing concerns
about the economy and the political leanings of their constituents. The
defections are a troubling sign for state Democratic operations clinging to
life following their election drubbing. Though Republicans' congressional
gains drew more attention, the party picked up more than 675 seats at the
state level last month and in some cases took over entire state capitals.
The gains far surpassed those made in 1994, but the sudden bout of party-
switching gives the GOP a chance to build their majorities further without
anybody casting a single ballot.
"It creates momentum, gives us better opportunities to recruit, better
candidates in the next cycle," said Frank Donatelli, chairman of Republican
recruitment arm GOPAC, welcoming the newcomers and urging other wavering
Democrats to follow suit.
Most of the switches so far have occurred in the south. They include four
Alabama House members, five Georgia House members, one Georgia senator, and
one Louisiana House member.
Alabama Rep. Alan Boothe, who has been a Democrat since he was first elected
in 1998, said he aligned with the party for "historical reasons" but after
this election decided to heed the call of his constituents for change. He
announced his decision to join the GOP last week.
"It was not just an overnight thing," he told FoxNews.com. "It was a
decision that took a lot of thought."
Boothe said the Republicans' economic message appealed to him and that he
didn't want to be working against the incoming Republican governor.
Tim Storey, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures,
said the crossovers are not "uncommon" in the wake of a wave election like
the one last month. He said the changes in the south reflect a party
realignment that's been happening for decades.
"They're conservatives who just feel more comfortable ideologically with
Republicans," he said, adding, "I wouldn't discount there's probably some
opportunism involved, either."
Republicans claimed at least 19 chambers on Election Day, and the subsequent
defections for the most part helped them build up those majorities. The
decision of Rep. Walker Hines in Louisiana, though, gave the party a
majority in that state's House of Representatives. The move gave Republicans
51 seats to the Democrats' 50, though Republicans already technically had
control of the chamber because four independents caucused with them.
Democrats were clearly stung by the announcements. In Alabama, the party put
out a lengthy statement in response to the loss of four of its members last
week.
"The gentlemen changing parties today had just won re-election as Democrats,
not Republicans; and they did so with the money, time, votes and
volunteerism of thousands of Democrats from across the state," the statement
said. "The Republican members of the legislature have put on a full-court
press to push all white Democrats to change parties after the election."
The party urged the four members to back up their decision by resigning and
then seeking reelection as Republicans in a special election.
"Each of them should also immediately refund the monies given to them by
their Democratic Caucus," the Democratic Party said.
Donatelli acknowledged that survival instinct might have played a factor but
said the lawmakers mostly were drawn to Republicans' "economic philosophy."
Though not as high-profile as the GOP's congressional victories, the state
wins take on outsized importance ahead of the 2012 cycle. State governments
are responsible for redrawing congressional districts in accordance with the
results of the 2010 Census, and the GOP now has a stronger voice in that
process. |
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