In the late 1980s and early 1990s, legislators switching parties seemed like an almost daily occurence as dozens of Democrats, almost all from the south, bolted for the GOP. Legislators still swap party hats on occasion, although it is less common these days. And the switching now goes both directions compared to the one way street of the 80s and 90s. In the past couple of weeks, Democrats welcomed a GOP defector in Washington and the GOP cancelled it out by coaxing a Democrat to join their ranks in Georgia.
In the Washington House, State Rep. Rodney Tom recently left the Republican Party. In the Georgia House, Democratic state Rep. Mickey Channell announced that he is joining the Republicans.
So where does this leave the overall tally of Rs and Ds with only six months to go before nearly 85% of legislative seats are up for election? The Democrats have a miniscule lead holding 22 more seats than the GOP out of 7,382--less than half of one percent. Can you say, "political parity?"
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