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Koster switches parties

State Senator Chris Koster
State Senator Chris Koster

By Andrea Chalfin, KBIA

Columbia, MO – Missouri State Senator Chris Koster announced today(Wednesday) that he's switching from the Republican to the Democratic political party.

Koster says the Republican Party has become too extreme, and that moderate Republicans have all but disappeared. He also says he's always differed from Reublicans on issues such as workers' rights, minimum wage, and an independent judiciary, but most visibly, Koster says, in his support of stem cell research,

"This fight is now real, and will moreover, have extraordinary consequences for Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, our state, our educational institutions, and our collective futures."

Koster declined to comment on speculation that he will run for Attorney General. The Missouri Republican Party issued a release accusing Koster of making the switch because he thinks it will be easier to win the Democratic primary in next year's Attorney General race.

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