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Angus King May Switch Sides And Caucus With Senate Republicans After 2014 Elections

Independent Senator May Switch Sides And Caucus With GOP After 2014 Elections
Amanda Terkel
By 

Washington Bureau Chief, HuffPost

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, listens to testimony during hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. After revelations this week that the National Security Agency (NSA) is allowed to gather U.S. phone calls and emails to sift through them for information leading to terrorist suspects, lawmakers are questioning the scope of the information gathered. ?Does that data all have to be held by the government?? asked King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who was briefed on the program this week. ?I don?t think there is evidence of abuse, but I think the program can be changed to be structured with less levels of intrusion on the privacy of Americans.? (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2013, file photo Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, listens to testimony during hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. After revelations this week that the National Security Agency (NSA) is allowed to gather U.S. phone calls and emails to sift through them for information leading to terrorist suspects, lawmakers are questioning the scope of the information gathered. ?Does that data all have to be held by the government?? asked King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who was briefed on the program this week. ?I don?t think there is evidence of abuse, but I think the program can be changed to be structured with less levels of intrusion on the privacy of Americans.? (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who currently caucuses with Democrats, said he is open to switching sides and joining Republicans if they retake the Senate in the midterm elections.

“I’ll make my decision at the time based on what I think is best for Maine,” King told The Hill on Wednesday.

On Thursday, however, King seemed to backtrack a bit, telling a National Journal reporter he had "no intentions" of caucusing with Republicans.

King has caucused with Democrats since winning his seat in 2012 and votes with the party most of the time. He did, however, vote against the Paycheck Fairness Act this week, a measure promoting gender pay equity that has been important to Democrats.

Republicans need to pick up six seats to regain control of the Senate this fall. But if they get only five seats, the Senate would be split, and a switch by King could tip the chamber in Republicans' favor.

In such a case, both sides would likely be courting King with offers of prime committee assignments.

The other independent in the chamber is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who also caucuses with Democrats and is one of the Senate's most progressive members.

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