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August 3, 2006

It's official: Riley 'divorces' GOP

By M. Scott Carter

Switch will give Senate Democrats 26 seats to Republicans' 22

By M. Scott Carter

Transcript Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Saying they had irreconcilable differences, state Senator Nancy Riley "divorced" her Republican colleagues today and announced she would change her party registration to Democrat.

Riley, a member of the Senate's Republican leadership team, said she would "caucus and vote" with the Democratic majority and would formally change her party affiliation to Democrat for the upcoming general election.

Under state law, Riley's change in party affiliation will not take effect until Sept. 1. The switch gives Senate Democrats 26 seats to the Republicans' 22.

"I sort of view this like a divorce," she said. "We've (Riley and her GOP colleagues) tried to change each other for the past six years -- it hasn't worked. We have too many differences."

Riley said she had been considering a change since June because the Senate's moderate Republicans are "being pushed to the side by the extreme right wing."

Speaking at a standing-room-only press conference, the 48-year-old former schoolteacher said GOP members refused to listen to her or consider her ideas.

Riley quoted Senate Republican leaders as saying they would "rather be in the majority than be right" and "it's all about making the other side look bad," during the last legislative session.

She described the GOP caucus' "lack of concern" for Oklahomans and its treatment of her as "abhorrent."

"I received no support at all. I had many discussions with Senator Coffee about my frustrations with the caucus but nothing changed."

Although word of Thursday's press conference had leaked late Wednesday afternoon, Riley's announcement sent shock waves through the Capitol building and rocked the Senate's Republican leadership.

In a hastily called press conference, a contrite minority leader, Glen Coffee, said he was disappointed by Riley's decision. "I'm probably the only person in Oklahoma who knows how (OU football coach) Bob Stoops feels," he said. "I'm sorry she's leaving. I'm disappointed."

Although Coffee said he understood Riley's frustration, he denied Republicans had an organized effort to exclude her. "Senator Riley and I have a very different perception of that," he said.

Coffee did, however, assume some responsibility for Riley's switch. "I have to take ownership if there was a breakdown in communication between the caucus and Senator Riley."

Capitol sources told The Transcript Coffee was "caught totally off guard" by Riley's action.

"He didn't know what hit him. He didn't know until a few hours before that she was switching," one source said. "They (Coffee and the Republican caucus) are reeling right now, and Coffee could be in deep trouble."

While Coffee downplayed the impact of Riley's leaving, he did acknowledge tensions among the normally solid caucus. "I hope to pay more attention, to make the rank and file happy," he said.

Senate leader Mike Morgan said Riley's change would have a "profound effect" on the 2006 election cycle. "There is momentum mounting here. There is a shift," Morgan, D-Stillwater, said. "We've seen Senator Leftwich's Republican opponent quit. We've seen Senator Crutchfield's opponent quit. The pendulum is swinging back in Oklahoma."

M. Scott Carter 366-3545 scarter@normantranscript.com

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