SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right. I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.

When the stimulus package came up for a vote, I felt that it was indispensable to vote aye in order to avoid the possibility of a 1929- type depression. In the course of the last several months since the stimulus vote, I have traveled the state, surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, done public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls, and have found that the prospects for winning the Republican primary are bleak.

Now, I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. Not prepared to have that record decided by that jury, the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.

But I'm prepared to take on all comers, all comers in a general election. And therefore, I've decided to be a candidate for reelection in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

This is a painful decision. I know that I'm disappointing many of my friends and colleagues. Frankly, I've been disappointed by some of the responses, so the disappointment runs in both directions.

I do not undertake this because of the absence of other challenging or interesting things that I could undertake outside of the Senate, but I do this because there are many projects that I want to move ahead for Pennsylvania with my continuing seniority in the United States Senate, and one of the key interests I have is medical research, and want to continue my work in that field. I think it is fair and accurate to say that the increases in funding for the National Institutes of Health, which I have spearheaded, have saved or prolonged many lives, including my own.

One item that I want to emphasize that I will not be changing my own personal independence or my own approach to individual issues. I will not be an automatic 60th vote.

I note that some of the news stories, since my statement was released this morning, are taking a look at the 60th vote. I will not be an automatic 60th vote. And I would illustrate that by my position on employees' choice, also known as Card Check.

I think it is a bad deal, and I'm opposed to it, and would not vote to invoke cloture. But that's only indicative of my view in that respect.

I have always agreed with John Kennedy that sometimes a party asks too much, and if the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not hesitate to disagree and vote my independent thinking and what I consider as a matter of conscience to be in the interest of the state and the nation.

OK.

QUESTION: Senator, are you putting your personal ambition ahead of principles?

SPECTER: No. I'm putting principle at the top of the list.

The principles that I subscribe to are my independence, which I will retain, regardless of party label. I believe that I have a great deal to offer in terms of continuing service. I'm full of vim, vigor and vitality.

There are lots of things I would want to do. I would headline that with medical research.

Just today, I introduced legislation to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries at the National Institutes of Health and bring them from the bench to the bedside. And I've been at the forefront of issues on civil rights and executive power. And I've been in the middle of the immigration issue, very active on Mideast foreign issues -- Iran, Syria -- so that I think I have a lot to contribute. And I would not suffer from lack of interesting and important things to do if I were a private citizen.

QUESTION: Senator, how did your Republican colleagues receive this news (INAUDIBLE)? And have you spoken to President Obama?

SPECTER: Which one of your questions do you want answered, because you only got one?

QUESTION: Well, one and a follow-up.

SPECTER: Oh, well that's all right, then. The answer to your second question is yes, and the answer to your first question is it was a polite session when I talked to the members. Senator Cochran said at least he wouldn't have to go to Erie any more to campaign for me.

And everybody that I passed on the way out was friendly and with friendly handshakes. I don't take that to mean that there aren't some people who are disappointed. But I think people respect my sincerity and respect what I have done in the Senate, and respect what I intend to continue to do.

QUESTION: Senator, did you win reelection given your seniority? Do you expect to chair a committee in the next Congress? Do you have any guarantees or any arrangements that you would have a chairmanship?

SPECTER: In discussing that issue with Senator Reid, the fair approach which we both agreed to was to be where I would be had I been a Democrat coming into the Senate with my election in 1980. So you can take a look at the charts and figure out exactly where I would be.

Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Can you give us some insight into your conversations with Senator Reid? And then bigger picture, when did you make this decision and how you made this decision? Was it (INAUDIBLE) making a lot of statements recently, there were statements that sounded like you are a Republican and you intended to stay in the Republican party. So what changed?

SPECTER: The decision has been reached gradually as I have traveled the state in the last several months. And specifically, I got my own poll results back last Friday, late last week, and consulted with my campaign managers, and had a long discussion with Joan and my son Shanin over the weekend, and came to a decision this past weekend.

QUESTION: Have the Democrats been lobbying you? Has Senator Reid (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What did you say about...

QUESTION: Have the Democratic leaders been lobby you? Have they been pushing (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Yes, I have had overtures from many of the Democratic leaders on a continuing basis. The overtures have been going on for the last five years when the -- they saw my voting record and saw the approach that I was taking to government.

And I have steadfastly rejected it on the ground that I think it is very important to have a two-party system and a moderate wing of the two-party system. And I have nothing but complements for Senator McConnell and said so in my written statement -- and Senator Cornyn -- and have said so for the entire caucus. The entire caucus has been first -- first rate. But when you take a look at the Pennsylvania Republican electorate, several hundred thousand Republicans shifted last year. And it has a bleak picture. We do not have a dominant voice there. But we find, I think regrettably, that the extremes of both parties are taking over.

A senator like Joe Lieberman can't win a primary in Connecticut. I had a 1 percent primary for 2004. And, to repeat, the word that I use is "bleak."

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) you said (INAUDIBLE) what about now (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Same thing.

QUESTION: So does that mean you're (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: No. Senator Leahy is senior to me in tenure. He was elected in 1974. I would be behind Senator Leahy.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: I'd be beside Senator Leahy again.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, I came in ahead of Senator Harkin. He was elected in 1984.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) so you're going to be the chairman of the (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: We haven't worked that out yet.

QUESTION: Senator Specter, as you were going through this decision and you thought about the (INAUDIBLE) party (INAUDIBLE) there's no -- there's (INAUDIBLE). I'm wondering what role health care plays in your decision -- health care issues (INAUDIBLE). Of all the issues (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: Well, I've been involved in a lot of significant issues like supreme court nominations, nine of them, like executive power, warrantless wire taps, and interrogation techniques, and like stem cells and NIH funding. And I could go on and on and on.

And it is an accumulation of factors, but as I said in the statement, the stimulus vote was a schism. And I used some language from domestic relations law, irreconcilable conflict.

Yes?

QUESTION: How are you going to vote on the Don Johnson (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: I'm opposed to the nominee for assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, Don Johnson. QUESTION: Do you (INAUDIBLE) Obama (INAUDIBLE) vice president's office (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Did I talk to either the president or the vice president? The vice president, in a public event in Philadelphia, when he came up to talk about the stimulus package several months ago, said to -- in a news conference that he urged me to become a Democrat. And then Governor Rendell, who was there, urged me to become a Democrat.

And Governor Rendell said if I became a Democrat, he would help me raise money. And I responded if I became a Democrat, I wouldn't need him to help me raise money. I've changed my mind about that, though.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Republican Party (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What...

QUESTION: What did you say about the (INAUDIBLE) why do you think they were reporting that (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, the party has shifted very far to the -- to the right. It was pretty far to the right in 2004. But you take away a couple hundred thousand Republicans, and they want to vote in a Democratic primary, they're dissatisfied with the party is a pretty obvious conclusion.

So if you do the numbers and you add to that the stimulus vote, that's where I end up saying the prospects are bleak.

QUESTION: Senator, why has the Republican Party become the party of (INAUDIBLE)? How did this happen?

SPECTER: Because most of the people do not participate in the political process. That is a very important question and maybe an important answer. If the electorate as a whole participated in the political process and in the primary process, Joe Lieberman would win the primary in Connecticut hands down. And I'd do the same thing in Pennsylvania.

There are plenty of people who agree with Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter, but they're non-participators.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: I'm sorry. I didn't understand your question.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

SPECTER: When the did I talk to the leaders? I talked to Senator Reid last night about 6:00 and I talked to Senator McConnell a little after 6:00.

Carl?

QUESTION: Do you (INAUDIBLE) from the president, Senator Reid, or the Democratic Party (INAUDIBLE) primary?

SPECTER: Yes, on all counts. The president -- I called this morning, and he said he would support me, and to Pennsylvania and campaign for me.

QUESTION: And you're assuming the Democrat...

SPECTER: And Senator Reid said that he would do the same. And I talked to Governor Rendell this morning, and he suggested a meeting among Democratic leadership in Washington tomorrow to formally endorse my candidacy.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: I don't know.

QUESTION: Do you feel at all (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What about Republicans here? Well, first I have to find out how many of you here are Republicans. Will you raise your hands?

(LAUGHTER)

That's what I thought. You take the Fifth.

(LAUGHTER)

To give you a serious answer to your question, Republicans didn't rally to Wayne Gilchrest in Maryland. He was beaten by the Club For Growth on the far right. They lost the general election.

Republicans didn't rally to the banner of Joe Schwartz in Michigan and he was beaten by a conservative in the Club For Growth. They lost the general election.

Republicans didn't rally to Heather Wilson in New Mexico last year and she was beaten in a primary and lost in the general election.

The Club For Growth challenged Linc Chafee. Remember Linc Chafee? They made him spend all his money in the primary and he lost the general. And had Linc Chafee been elected in 2006, the Republicans would have controlled the Senate in 2007 and '08 and I would have been chairman of the committee.

And President Bush nominated 13 circuit judges. They were all left on the table for President Obama. And President Bush nominated 21 district court judges, and they were all left on the table for President Obama. Now take the social conservatives in America and how they prize circuit judges. Remember what we went through for Judge Southwith (ph) last year to go a circuit judge confirmed?

And one of the my opponent's principle advisers said, "We don't care about stage two. Stage one, we want to beat Arlen Specter. We'll worry about stage two later." They don't make any bones about their willingness to lose the general election if they can purify the party. I don't understand it, but that's what they said.

And for the people who are Republicans that just sit by and allow them to continue to dominate the party after they beat Chafee, cost us the Republican control of the Senate and cost us 34 federal judges, there ought to be a rebellion. There ought to be an uprising.

So thanks for asking the question about what are the Republicans like here.

Yes?

QUESTION: Do you think that this makes the (INAUDIBLE) reconciliation (INAUDIBLE) of the table or that it will change the way health care...

SPECTER: Oh, I'm opposed to reconciliation to be used for health care or any other substantive legislative issue. I think it would undermine an important institutional prerogative of the Senate to require 60 votes on these complicated matters. I thought that when I -- whether I would be a Republican or a Democrat.

QUESTION: Does that mean you won't (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What's that?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, let me take a look at it before I answer that question to try to know what I'm talk about. Let me think about that.

Yes, sir. You chased me down the hall. You deserve more privacy than this.

(LAUGHTER)

One of many.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) curious you said you made this decision after (INAUDIBLE) with respect (INAUDIBLE) basically a (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, it's a combination of factors. If you take a look at my voting record on a wide variety of issues, on voting on Pell grants, you take a look at my position on executive authority, you take a look at my position on stem cells, or my position on NIH funding generally, it is a large number of figures.

I have to make a calculation as to whether it's possible, realistic to fight for the moderate wing of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania. And I do not think it's realistic. It's bleak.