Changes

Ellington handily won reelection to the Senate on October 23, 1991, when he defeated his first and only Republican opponent, Larry Bruce Minton (born 1945 of [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]] in Rapides Parish),<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 23, 1999.</ref> In 2003, Ellington won his last Senate term in an easy contest with fellow Democrat James "Jim" Hearns (born 1952) of Columbia, 27,021 (80 percent) to 6,497 (20 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.</ref>

Ellington handily won reelection to the Senate on October 23, 1991, when he defeated his first and only Republican opponent, Larry Bruce Minton (born 1945 of [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]] in Rapides Parish),<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 23, 1999.</ref> In 2003, Ellington won his last Senate term in an easy contest with fellow Democrat James "Jim" Hearns (born 1952) of Columbia, 27,021 (80 percent) to 6,497 (20 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.</ref>

===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. Ellington and Smith had been the top recipients of legislative campaign contributions from Koch Industries and its subsidiaries in the state, in the election cycles before their party switches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.followthemoney.org|title=National Institute on Money in State Politics|publisher=followthemoney.org|accessdate=September 1, 2012}}</ref>  On December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official; his move gave the stzate GOP its first majority in the Louisiana House since [[Reconstruction]].

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. Ellington and Smith had been the top recipients of legislative campaign contributions from Koch Industries and its subsidiaries in the state, in the election cycles before their party switches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.followthemoney.org|title=National Institute on Money in State Politics|publisher=followthemoney.org|accessdate=September 1, 2012}}</ref>  On December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official; his move gave the stzate 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=Ellington gives GOP majority in House: Legislative veteran switches parties​|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 had fifty-three Republicans, four members with no party affiliation, and forty-eight Democrats.</ref>

<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/louisiana_republicans_take_fir.html|title=Ellington gives GOP majority in House: Legislative veteran switches parties​|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 had fifty-three Republicans, four members with no party affiliation, and forty-eight Democrats.</ref>