WASHINGTON - Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, a move that will push Democrats closer to total control of the U.S. Senate.
Specter's switch is a huge boost for President Barack Obama as he tries to advance his agenda on energy policy, health care reform and other issues.
With 60 votes in the 100-seat chamber, Obama's fellow Democrats could stop Republican filibusters ? stalling tactics used to delay or defeat legislation.
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Specter would give Democrats at least 59 Senate seats. There is one vacancy from state of Minnesota, where Democrat Al Franken holds a narrow lead in a race still being disputed in courts.
Under Senate rules, a single senator can object to consideration of a bill, in which case it takes a 60-vote super-majority to bring a bill to the floor or end debate so a final vote can be taken.
However, there is no guarantee that the Pennsylvania senator will vote with the Democrats on every issue. With the presence of moderate Democrats and contested regional issues, the risk of a fractured caucus is a congressional reality.
"In our caucus we don't have any automatic votes for anything," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. "I expect him to be as just as independent as ever."
"Anyone who says the president's agenda can slide right through here is wrong," added New York Sen. Charles Schumer. "But the really good news for us is that the Republican sort of knee-jerk filibuster at every whim cannot happen."
Political philosophy at odds
In a statement, Specter said, "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans...It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable."
Several Senate officials said a formal announcement could come later in the day or Wednesday. Specter planned a news conference for Tuesday afternoon.
Specter, 79, and a veteran of 29 years in the Senate, is one of a handful of Republican moderates remaining in Congress in a party now dominated by conservatives. Several officials said the White House as well as leaders in both parties had been involved in discussions leading to his move.
Specter faced an extraordinarily difficult re-election challenge in his home state of Pennsylvania in 2010, having first to confront a challenge from his right in the Republican primary before pivoting to a general election campaign against a Democrat.
"I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate," he said in the statement.
"I don't have to say anything to them. They've said it to me," Specter said, when asked in a Capitol corridor about abandoning the Republicans.
Specter's switch is a huge boost for President Barack Obama as he tries to advance his agenda on energy policy, health care reform and other issues.
With 60 votes in the 100-seat chamber, Obama's fellow Democrats could stop Republican filibusters ? stalling tactics used to delay or defeat legislation.
Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here
Specter would give Democrats at least 59 Senate seats. There is one vacancy from state of Minnesota, where Democrat Al Franken holds a narrow lead in a race still being disputed in courts.
Under Senate rules, a single senator can object to consideration of a bill, in which case it takes a 60-vote super-majority to bring a bill to the floor or end debate so a final vote can be taken.
However, there is no guarantee that the Pennsylvania senator will vote with the Democrats on every issue. With the presence of moderate Democrats and contested regional issues, the risk of a fractured caucus is a congressional reality.
"In our caucus we don't have any automatic votes for anything," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. "I expect him to be as just as independent as ever."
"Anyone who says the president's agenda can slide right through here is wrong," added New York Sen. Charles Schumer. "But the really good news for us is that the Republican sort of knee-jerk filibuster at every whim cannot happen."
Political philosophy at odds
In a statement, Specter said, "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans...It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable."
Several Senate officials said a formal announcement could come later in the day or Wednesday. Specter planned a news conference for Tuesday afternoon.
Specter, 79, and a veteran of 29 years in the Senate, is one of a handful of Republican moderates remaining in Congress in a party now dominated by conservatives. Several officials said the White House as well as leaders in both parties had been involved in discussions leading to his move.
Specter faced an extraordinarily difficult re-election challenge in his home state of Pennsylvania in 2010, having first to confront a challenge from his right in the Republican primary before pivoting to a general election campaign against a Democrat.
"I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate," he said in the statement.
"I don't have to say anything to them. They've said it to me," Specter said, when asked in a Capitol corridor about abandoning the Republicans.
