PORTLAND (AP) – Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says fellow Republican Sen. Arlen Specter’s decision to switch parties underscores the need to move the GOP back toward the center.

Snowe expressed disappointment at the Pennsylvania senator’s switch, saying it represents the loss of another key Republican voice from the party.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also said she was “extremely surprised and disappointed” at the decision by Specter to leave the GOP.

Snowe said in a statement that Tuesday’s announcement is the latest in a line of problems that include devastating losses in the last two elections and former Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords’ 2001 switch from Republican to independent.

Said Snowe: “Ultimately, we’re heading to having the smallest political tent in history, the way events have been unfolding. If the Republican Party fully intends to become a majority party in the future, it must move from the far right back toward the middle.”

Collins said in a statement Tuesday that she has great respect for Specter, whom she described as a leading moderate voice in the Senate.

Collins, who won re-election in November with 61 percent of the vote, said she believes Specter’s decision “is more a reflection of Pennsylvania politics than anything else.”

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