Sawz...why are you demanding that someone provide YOU with detailed research in order to make a general point about change in politics?

In Tillman's day, there were racists in every party and 'party lines' were usually drawn along other lines. There was much turmoil as parties attempted to reconcile the purported 'end' of slavery with other issues. Some Southern states, even those led by people with 'Democrat' beside their names, engaged in heinous practices for 100 years after Emancipation....(and yes, some odd bits of it continue today). Politicians join any party they choose, according to 'some' principles, but often just according to expediency to further careers. We see a few changing parties every year.
If we were sensible, we'd have a dozen parties to reflect many different combinations of viewpoints, but in order to have much hope of getting noticed and elected, a politician needs to cram his views in one of the two majors, then seek to bargain for vote on one issue in order to promote another...witness Ben Nelson & Joe Sestak and Olympia Snow...etc...etc...Even Jim Webb voted with the Republicans the other day...and I still can't figure out why.

So, Sawz...although *I* made some of the assertions about Dixiecrats as 'part' of a point about 'politics making strange bedfellows', it is not necessary to spend hours looking up names and typing long screeds just to 'prove' to YOU something that is not a major issue. Some Democrats/Dixiecrats DID change...Robert Byrd being the most notable....and others changed parties....and for your edification here is a small list, which YOU could have found with a 20 second search.