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→Party bolt
===Party bolt===
===Party bolt===
On December 9, 2010, Ellington announced that he was likely to switch to Republican affiliation to seek renewed membership in the state House of Representatives in 2011. Three other Democrats announced that same month that they had switched affiliation, [[John Alario]] of Westwego in Jefferson Parish, [[Fred Mills]] of St. Martinville, and Simone B. Champagne of Iberia Parish, following the departure two years earlier of John R. Smith of Leesville. On December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official; his move gave the state GOP its first majority in the Louisiana House since [[Reconstruction]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/louisiana_republicans_take_fir.html|title=Louisiana Republicans take first House majority since Reconstruction with latest party switch|author=Bill Barrow|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|date=December 18, 2010|page=3A}}</ref> With Ellington's switch, the Louisiana House of Representatives then had fifty-three Republicans, four members with no party affiliation, and forty-eight Democrats.
On December 9, 2010, Ellington announced that he was likely to switch to Republican affiliation to seek renewed membership in the state House of Representatives in 2011. Three other Democrats announced that same month that they had switched affiliation, [[John Alario]] of Westwego in Jefferson Parish, [[Fred Mills]] of St. Martinville, and [[Simone Champagne]] of Iberia Parish, following the departure two years earlier of John R. Smith of Leesville. On December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official; his move gave the state GOP its first majority in the Louisiana House since [[Reconstruction]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/louisiana_republicans_take_fir.html|title=Louisiana Republicans take first House majority since Reconstruction with latest party switch|author=Bill Barrow|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|date=December 18, 2010|page=3A}}</ref> With Ellington's switch, the Louisiana House of Representatives then had fifty-three Republicans, four members with no party affiliation, and forty-eight Democrats.
Ellington explained that this party switch is "historically significant, but the truth is I've been a conservative for my entire career, so it won't affect the way I vote. ... I found myself farther and farther away from what has become the liberal philosophy of the national party. My way of thinking, which falls along a more conservative line, has been shrinking within the party. At least nationally, the Republican Party seems to fit my philosophy more than the current Democratic Party."<ref name=switches>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20101218/NEWS01/12180346/Ellington-switches|title=Ellington switches: First GOP House majority since Reconstruction|publisher=''The Monroe News-Star''|date=December 18, 2010|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]}}</ref>
Ellington explained that this party switch is "historically significant, but the truth is I've been a conservative for my entire career, so it won't affect the way I vote. ... I found myself farther and farther away from what has become the liberal philosophy of the national party. My way of thinking, which falls along a more conservative line, has been shrinking within the party. At least nationally, the Republican Party seems to fit my philosophy more than the current Democratic Party."<ref name=switches>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20101218/NEWS01/12180346/Ellington-switches|title=Ellington switches: First GOP House majority since Reconstruction|publisher=''The Monroe News-Star''|date=December 18, 2010|author=[[Greg Hilburn]]}}</ref>