OK Republican state senator joins Democratic Party

Republican state Sen. Nancy Riley, complaining there is no room in her party for moderates, switched to the Democratic Party Thursday and threw a new obstacle at GOP hopes of taking control of the Senate for the first time in state history.

Riley, flanked by a half dozen Democratic Senate leaders, announced her change in party allegiance while criticizing Senate Republicans for what she said was their "lack of compassion for people" and for ignoring her and other political moderates.

"The moderate Republican has been pushed aside for the extreme right wing," Riley said. Riley, a member of the Senate's GOP leadership team who holds the title of minority whip, said she has received no support among Republicans in the state Senate.

"The treatment I received in the last legislative session was abhorrent," she said, adding that her focus in the Senate has been "on families, children and the average Oklahoman."

"I was totally disregarded," Riley said. "The moderate Republican no longer has a voice."

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