Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter wasn’t the only prominent Republican party-switcher in the news the past couple of days.

But former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee — during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show” to discuss Specter’s switch to the Democratic Party — managed to sow some confusion about whether he has officially entered the 2010 race for governor of Rhode Island as an independent.

Chafee, in his national TV appearance Tuesday night, seemed to confirm his plans to stage that bid, just three weeks after unveiling an exploratory committee.