UPDATE: LAST PARA ADDED: Some details of the vote for Speaker Richardson. Most were white, rural Dems who crossed party lines to show bipartisanship.

A post from yesterday noted that Rep. Glenn Richardson was elected Speaker of the House. The official vote was 117-60 in the 180-member House. But there are only 99 Republicans. Thus Richardson was supported by 18 Democratic members of the House -- a disturbing statistic amid concern about possible additional party-switchers under the dome.

The 01-11-05 PI provides some of the details of those making up the 18:

It's always been thus: One man's sell-out is another man's savvy survival

Eighteen Democrats and one independent endorsed Glenn Richardson for House speaker on Monday, including out-going speaker Terry Coleman.

[AS NOTED IN A LATER POST, THE FOREGOING STATEMENT ABOUT REP. COLEMAN IS INCORRECT. HE VOTED FOR REP. PORTER.]

Most surprising were Douglas Dean of Atlanta and Don Wix of Mableton. Wix holds Roy Barnes' old House seat.

An angry DuBose Porter, the new House minority leader, spoke of "political whoring."

Greg Morris, a Democrat who supported Richardson, defended himself: "The majority rules. He's the new speaker, and there's no sense in having a partisan fight the first day. Look, I've got a district to represent, and they expect me to deliver for them."
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Kristen Wyatt of the AP described the House Democrats vote for Richardson for Speaker as "a symbolic sign of respect even though a Democrat ran for the job."
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The 18 Democrats were white legislators from rural districts.

Dave Williams of the Gwinnett Daily Post also reports bipartisanship as the reason the 18 Democrats crossed party lines, noting that:

Rep. Bob Hanner, D-Parrott, said he voted for Richardson out of a spirit out of bipartisanship, not out of any interest in changing parties. “They won. They got the majority of the House,” said Hanner. “I think we should work together now . . . not try to be obstructionists.”