GOP courts democrats

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two Democratic state representatives said Tuesday that House Republican Leader Brian Bosma asked them to consider switching parties so Republicans would have control of the chamber.\nRep. Dave Crooks, D-Washington, and Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, said Bosma called them with the request last week after vote tallies from the election showed Democrats with a 51-49 majority in the House. Both said they declined to consider the switch.\nIf Republicans gain a 50th seat, they would control of the chamber through a tie-breaking law enacted in 1995.\nBosma confirmed Tuesday that he made the requests and said there was an open invitation to other Democrats to consider it, although Crooks and Welch were the only two he spoke to individually.\n"They are both in districts that are pretty Republican, they both have conservative philosophies and they are very closely aligned with Republican colleagues in the House," said Bosma, R-Indianapolis.\nCrooks said that after he declined to consider a switch, Bosma warned him that because his district in southwestern Indiana leans Republican, the GOP would target him for defeat in the 2004 election.\nCrooks said Bosma asked him not to say anything about the conversation.\n"But after I thought about it over the weekend and reflected on it, I thought it was safer to let my constituents know the offer was made," Crooks said. "I'm just a bit disgusted by it."\nBosma said he "absolutely did not make any threats to either of them."\n"I did point out to both of them that our campaign folks are already looking to where inroads can be made to give us a majority, and their districts were likely spots to look," Bosma said.\n"I didn't mean that as a threat, only that running as a Republican would be a lot easier in 2004 than running as a Democrat."\nResults from last week's election showed Democrats barely retaining control of the House with 51 seats, down two from the 53-47 majority they had.\nDemocrats claimed victory in a Fort Wayne race by 64 votes, and preliminary results from an Indianapolis-area contest showed them winning by 36 votes. The count in the latter race was expected to be certified by Marion County election officials Tuesday.\nMatthew Kelty, who lost by 64 votes to Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne, in District 81, said Monday that he would request a recount.\nRepublicans also are considering a recount in the District 86 contest, since preliminary totals showed Democrat David Orentlicher defeating Republican Rep. Jim Atterholt by only 36 votes, and in House District 45, where Democrat Alan Chowning won by less than 300 votes over Republican Bruce Borders.