Oklahoma Republican State Senator Switches to Dem

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Thursday August 03, 2006 · 10:58 AM PDT

2006/08/03 · 10:58

State Senator Nancy Riley has switched parties from Republican to Democrat because she believes the Republicans have dissed her for her moderate views and for being a woman, and because she believes the Republicans are being taken over by rightwing extremists.

Well, we could have told her that! Still, this is especially good because she's in the middle of her term --- meaning she's not up for re-.election.

So does this mean the tide has really turned?

Here's the story from KTUL in Tulsa.

Republican State Senator Joins Democratic Party
Thursday August 03, 2006 1:04pm
Oklahoma City (AP) - The state Senate gained a Democrat and lost a Republican today.
Senator Nancy Riley says she's switching from the Republican to the Democratic Party because the G-O-P is being taken over by the extreme right wing.
Riley says she was completely ignored by the Republican caucus during this year's legislative session. She believes her treatment is because of her moderate views and because she's a woman.
The move increases the Democrat's majority in the Senate to 26-to-22 and Riley is in the middle of her four-year term so she doesn't face re-election this year.
Democratic Senator Mike Morgan says Riley's move shows momentum is shifting back to the Democratic Party.
Riley recent finished third in a three person race for the Republican nomination lieutenant governor but surprised many by getting 23 percent of the vote.

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