Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter to switch parties and become a Democrat
Updated Tuesday, April 28th 2009, 11:32 AM
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Senator Arlen Specter chats with Sarah Palin on the campaign trail in 2008.
Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter announced he is switching parties Tuesday pushing Democrats one step closer to the 60 votes they need to exercise total control of the U.S. Senate.
"I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania," Specter said in a statement. "I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary."
Specter is a 79-year-old veteran who has served 30 years in the Senate, and one of only a handful of moderate Republicans left in Congress in a party made up largely of conservatives.
Switching parties enhances his chances of winning a new term in elections next year in heavily Democratic Pennsylvania, the state he represents.
With News Wire Services
