More Republicans switching affiliation

Retired Penn State staff assistant Carol A. Spangler, of State College, a registered Republican for more than four decades, switched to the Democratic Party two months ago because "I just don't want to be known as a Republican right now."

Boalsburg resident Gregory Mussi, regional director of building code enforcement, changed his registration two weeks ago from Republican to Democratic "out of disgust" and because he's "disenchanted" with some aspects of federal government.

And Penn State professor Rayne Sperling, a registered Republican all her life until January, made the move to the Democratic Party because "I just felt the time had come."

Spangler, Mussi and Sperling aren't alone. They joined a growing number of people in Centre County and across the state who have left the Republicans for the Democrats as the war in Iraq grinds on and the nation's political leaders argue fiercely over what to do about it.

Centre County Republicans hold a 44 percent to 38 percent registration advantage over Democrats, and some Democrats have become Republicans in the year's first 13 weeks. But more than twice as many Republicans have become Democrats.

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