Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylavania announced today he will switch to the Democratic party, bringing the Democrats one step closer to the filibuster-proof supermajority needed to ensure legislation will pass. “I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Specter said.
A statement released by Specter said, “Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats.”
According to the White House, Obama called Specter shortly after the announcement to congratulate and thank him. Specter was one of three moderate Republicans in the Senate who helped push Democratic legislation through Congress. Specter and Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, were the only Republicans in either house of Congress to vote for President Obama’s stimulus bill.
Tags: pennsylvania, Senate, specter
