Dems Promised Me Seniority: Demoted Specter

Arlen Specter, demoted to junior spots on Senate committees after switching to the Democratic Party, thought things would be different, he told CNN today. Majority Leader Harry Reid “said that I would maintain my committee assignments,” Specter said, “and that my seniority would be established as if I’d been elected in 1980 as a Democrat.” Specter’s demotion could hurt him on the campaign trail, where he’s touted his influence. (More Arlen Specter stories.)