This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/8023460.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Republican senator switches party | Republican senator switches party |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| US Republican Senator Arlen Specter is to switch sides and become a Democrat. | US Republican Senator Arlen Specter is to switch sides and become a Democrat. |
| The move would give the Democrats 59 votes in the senate, just one short of the 60 needed to overturn Republican attempts to block legislation. | The move would give the Democrats 59 votes in the senate, just one short of the 60 needed to overturn Republican attempts to block legislation. |
| The Democrats are expected to pick up their 60th vote when the result of the still-disputed Minnesota senate race is decided by the courts. | The Democrats are expected to pick up their 60th vote when the result of the still-disputed Minnesota senate race is decided by the courts. |
| Mr Specter, a moderate, said that since he joined the Republicans in 1980 the party had "moved far to the right". | Mr Specter, a moderate, said that since he joined the Republicans in 1980 the party had "moved far to the right". |
| "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," he said in a statement announcing the switch. | "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," he said in a statement announcing the switch. |
| 'Thrilled' | |
| He added: "My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans." | He added: "My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans." |
| President Obama, a Democrat, is reported to have called Mr Specter after he was informed of the switch to tell him that he was "thrilled" to have him in his party. | |
| It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism Arlen Specter | |
| Mr Specter, 79, had held secret talks with Mr Obama, along with other senior Democrats including Vice-President Joe Biden, ahead of his decision to leave the Republican Party, according to officials. | |
| The BBC's Richard Lister in Washington says the news has sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, where the president's power has been blunted by the votes of Senate Republicans. | |
| The move should make it easier for Mr Obama to pursue his ambitious agenda, our correspondent adds. | |
| Mr Specter was facing a tough challenge from conservative Pat Toomey, in a primary election to decide who would run as the Republican candidate for Mr Specter's Pennsylvania senate seat in 2010. | |
| Polls suggested that Mr Specter's decision to vote for the president's economic stimulus package earlier this year had been unpopular with Republican activists in the state. | |
| "I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing," Mr Specter said. | |
| Since then, he added, "it has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable". | |
| Independents | |
| Mr Specter may have to fight off a primary challenge from a Democrat if he wants to be the party's senate candidate in 2010, although he will have the support of senior party officials. | |
| If he does win the Democratic nomination, he is likely to face off against Mr Toomey for the seat. | |
| Including Mr Specter, there will now be 57 Democrats in the Senate. Two independents also vote with the party. | |
| The result of the 2008 Minnesota senate race is still being fought over in the courts. | |
| State officials and a judge's panel have both awarded victory to Democrat Al Franken, but Republican Norm Coleman has appealed against the decisions to the state's Supreme Court. | |
| A final verdict from the court is due in June. |