Washington » Utah's senators responded with a mix of disappointment, shock and sadness Tuesday after Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties and joined the Democrats.
"I know it has been a torturous decision for him, but he is going to have my friendship regardless," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who spoke privately with Specter after his announcement Tuesday.
Specter's decision gives Democrats 59 seats and a possibility of reaching the magic number of 60. Al Franken is in front in the Minnesota race that is now mired in a court fight. Reaching 60 votes is a major political milestone because it takes that many votes to overcome procedural obstacles on contentious bills.
That's why Hatch has touted the 41 Republicans as a "firewall" against unfettered Democratic control. He has raised millions of dollars to protect conservative Senators as the vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
He even gave Specter $10,000 from his political action committee in March. A spokesman for Hatch said the senator "hopes he will give it back." Specter promised to return contributions upon request.
Hatch downplayed the political impact of Specter's defection on Tuesday, saying he expects his friend to remain an independent voice.
"I think Arlen is not going to change his political philosophy because of the switch over," he said
But Utah GOP Sen. Bob Bennett isn't so sure.
"If he is going to run in the Democratic primary, I expect he will vote with the Democrats pretty reliably from now on," said Bennett, who is concerned how the move may impact judges nominated by President Barack Obama.
Specter joined the Democrats to help pass the $787 billion economic stimulus bill earlier this year and he cited that vote as one of the main reasons he split with Republicans in Pennsylvania.
"It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable," he said in a statement. "My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats than I have been for the Republicans."
Specter promised to stand in opposition to a bill that would make it easier for unions to organize as an example of an issue where he will stick with Republicans.
U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman, who worked for Specter for two years and was Judiciary Committee's chief counsel over crime and terrorism, said the announcement was "pretty stunning news."
"I observed him always wrestling with the issues which was to his credit," he said. "I never really observed him wrestling with the politics of the matters but the legitimacy of the issues one way or the other."
But Bennett sees Specter's decision to leave the Republicans as pure politics. He faced a tough Republican primary and believed it would be easier to win as a Democrat.
"Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats," Specter said. "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."
Tribune reporter Robert Gehrke contributed to this article.
