Republican to go Democrat

[Kevin Robert Dean]

Senate Democrats Court Vermont Republican
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/jeffords010518.html
Until today, the Republican has always denied that he might join Democrats
in the Senate, which is evenly split 50-50 between the two parties. But now
his office says only that "he is the most conservative member of the Vermont
delegation, regardless of his party label."
(The other two Vermont congressmen - Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Bernard
Sanders - are unabashed liberals.)

Sources close to Jeffords say Democrats have been courting him aggressively
and "talks have intensified in the last two weeks."

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's spokeswoman would say only, "We'd love
to have him."

Democratic sources speculate that Daschle may have to offer to let Jeffords
retain his chairmanship of the Education Committee if the Senate becomes
Democratic because of his switch.

Were the death or resignation of a senator to give Democrats control of the
Senate without Jeffords' switch, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., would be next
in line to chair the Education Committee.

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