Senator defects giving Democrats control of US Senate

Vermont Senator James Jeffords today defected from the Republicans, handing control of the senate to the Democrats.

He ignored Republican pleas to stay loyal and said he will now sit as an independent but side with the Democrats.

The Democrats will now control the Senate for the first time since 1994.

Jeffords made his announcement after a last-ditch effort by Republicans to keep him in the fold.

‘‘In order to best represent my state of Vermont, my own conscience and principals that I have stood for my whole life, I will leave the Republican Party and become an independent,’’ he said.

Jeffords said that he had been ‘‘struggling with a very difficult decision’’ for the past several weeks.

As recently as the November elections Jeffords had said he had ‘‘no thoughts whatsoever’’ about changing parties, appearing to suggest that his dealings with the Bush White House were a major factor in his decision.

‘‘Increasingly, I find myself in disagreement with my party. I understand that many people are more conservative than I am and they form the Republican Party. Given the changing nature of the national party it has become a struggle for the leaders to deal with me and indeed for me to deal with them,’’ he said.

Vermont Republican leaders were furious about Jeffords’ decision.

‘‘My concern for Jeffords is that his legacy will be as one of Benedict Arnold,’’ said Skip Vallee, the state representative of the Republican National Committee, referring to a traitor during American Revolutionary War.

Some Republicans called on Jeffords to resign his Senate seat, then run again in a special election without a party banner.

‘‘To honourably serve the people of this state, what he should do is resign his seat, allow the governor to appoint an interim, and then fulfil his right to seek election under another party affiliation,’’ said former Rutland Mayor Jeffrey Wennberg. ‘‘But let the voters decide.’’