NEW ORLEANS – In 48 hours, U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander went from Democrat to Republican, friend to foe – or foe to friend, depending on your political persuasion.
Democrats reacted to the news by calling the first-term congressman a turncoat and a coward. They must now gain another seat, 12 in all, to win back the House this fall. The count today: Democrats 205, Republicans 229.
A new ally, on the other hand, rang up Alexander on Friday to say congratulations. President Bush, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, welcomed him to the GOP and wished him well.
After announcing his new affiliation Friday afternoon, Alexander said he had been struggling with his conservative votes for his entire term – backing the Bush tax cuts as well as the war in Iraq – and noted they had brought him criticism from Democrats.
“I just decided it would be best for me to switch parties, that I would be more effective in the 5th District in the state of Louisiana as a Republican,” he said.
On Wednesday, Alexander registered at the start of qualifying for the 5th District race as a Democrat. Friday afternoon, the last day of qualifying for the Nov. 2 ballot, he made his switch, leaving Democrats no time to enter a strong candidate in the race.
Alexander acknowledged he had been courted by the Republicans but said the president hadn’t asked him personally to make the switch.
Democrats in Washington, D.C., didn’t hide their feelings.
“Rodney Alexander has betrayed voters in Louisiana and leaders like (Sens.) John Breaux and Mary Landrieu, who have helped him. We have no use for turncoats like Rodney Alexander in the new Democratic majority,” said Kori Bernards, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
That Alexander made his move so late, effectively eliminating the possibility of having a strong Democratic challenger, may not sit well with voters, says Ed Renwick, a political scientist and pollster at Loyola University in New Orleans.
“In one sense, it was a very shrewd political move,” Renwick said. “But it’s a dangerous move.”
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