Georgia party-switchers in peril
When four [Georgia] Senate Democrats switched parties last year, they cited the new legislative district maps drawn up by members of their own party as one of the reasons for their change in party affiliation.
Their switch threw control of the chamber to Republicans and landed most of them powerful positions in the new majority. But a map drawn by federal courts to replace that Democratic plan has put all four of the freshly minted Republicans into at least some degree of political peril.
Two of them are paired with incumbent Republicans under the map handed down last week by a federal judge. A third would compete with the Senate's longest-serving Democrat for re-election and the fourth already has both Democrats and Republicans spoiling to face him at the polls.
Ironically all four of the party-switching senators _ Rooney Bowen of Cordele, Don Cheeks of Augusta, Jack Hill of Reidsville and Dan Lee of LaGrange _ would have had relatively safe seats under the Democratic maps the court threw out. -- Senate party switchers face uncertain fate on map (AP)