Rep. Boren rules out changing to GOP

By Chris Casteel

Published: September 21, 2006

WASHINGTON - What if the Democrats won enough seats on Nov. 7 to control the U.S. House by a single vote and Republicans approached Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, about changing parties?

What if they promised him a great committee assignment, a bigger office and maybe even a few bridges for his eastern Oklahoma district?

"There's not a chance that I would ever change parties," Boren told The Oklahoman in an interview last week.

The freshman lawmaker, whose father, David, was a Democratic U.S. senator, and whose grandfather, Lyle, was a Democratic congressman, said he would expect overtures from Republicans if they lost control of the House. He said he already gets joking comments from some about joining the GOP.

Speculation about a possible party switch even showed up Wednesday in The Hill, a Washington-based publication about Capitol politics.

Rumors once flew
The reason: Last year, his first in the House, he voted against the Democratic Party position 41 percent of the time.

He sided with President Bush's position 65 percent of the time.

In 2004, when he first won his seat, there were rumors Boren once had been registered as a Republican.

He strongly denied that, though he said he had been registered for a time as an independent when he worked for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Denise Bode, a Republican.

Boren said Republicans probably would offer some incentives to persuade him to join their ranks.

But, he said, "I wouldn't be interested in doing that. I've never even thought about changing parties."

"There's not a chance that I would ever change parties."Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee

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