US senator Mr James Jeffords has quit the Republican Party in a dramatic move that will give the Democrats control of the US Senate and threaten President George W Bush's conservative agenda.
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Announcing his decision from his home state of Vermont, the moderate senator said: "I will leave the Republican Party and become an independent. Control of the Senate will be changed by my decision."
His decision gives the Democrats a 50-49 seat advantage in the Senate. The party will now control the body's agenda, undermining the Republican president's ability to push through his programs.