Democrat Rep. Parker Griffith (AL-05) Switches Parties
Posted on Dec. 22, 09 | 11:34 AM by Andrew Roth | Topic: ElectionsLink to Article: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/perm/?postID=12245
In an email that I just received, The Politico is breaking this news:
This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Back in August, Griffith said he wasn't going to vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker next year. That is something you just don't say if you plan on remaining in the Democrat Party. He also asked in November not to be identified as a Democrat, but rather "a conservative, independent Blue Dog."
McCain won this district with 61% last year so Griffith was going to face a stiff general election challenge. Griffith himself only won with 51% of the vote. However, with this party switch, he might not yet be out of the woods. Republican candidate Mo Brooks has $113,000 cash on hand and Les Phillip has $31,000. Griffith is sitting on $618,000.
Alabama is a run-off state, so Griffith will have to go head-to-head against a seasoned Republican if he wants to stay in office (assuming he doesn't get 50% of the vote right off the bat).
Griffith's voting record is far from conservative, too. Granted, he voted against the Big 4 - Obama's first budget, the Stimulus, Cap and Trade, and ObamaCare. However, his vote on the budget is slightly deceptive since he originally voted for 9 of the 12 spending bills that make up the budget. And he voted against all the Stimulus amendments that would reduce its size.
But just a quick perusal of 2009 shows that he voted YES on the 2009 pork-filled Omnibus; YES on Cash for Clunkers, NO on waiving the harmful Davis-Bacon provision, and had a pathetic 0% score on the 2009 RePORK Card.
This party switch signals Griffith's nervousness, but it doesn't signal that his incumbency is safe.
Permalink: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/perm/?postID=12245
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Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, will announce this afternoon that he's switching parties to become a Republican.
This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Back in August, Griffith said he wasn't going to vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker next year. That is something you just don't say if you plan on remaining in the Democrat Party. He also asked in November not to be identified as a Democrat, but rather "a conservative, independent Blue Dog."
McCain won this district with 61% last year so Griffith was going to face a stiff general election challenge. Griffith himself only won with 51% of the vote. However, with this party switch, he might not yet be out of the woods. Republican candidate Mo Brooks has $113,000 cash on hand and Les Phillip has $31,000. Griffith is sitting on $618,000.
Alabama is a run-off state, so Griffith will have to go head-to-head against a seasoned Republican if he wants to stay in office (assuming he doesn't get 50% of the vote right off the bat).
Griffith's voting record is far from conservative, too. Granted, he voted against the Big 4 - Obama's first budget, the Stimulus, Cap and Trade, and ObamaCare. However, his vote on the budget is slightly deceptive since he originally voted for 9 of the 12 spending bills that make up the budget. And he voted against all the Stimulus amendments that would reduce its size.
But just a quick perusal of 2009 shows that he voted YES on the 2009 pork-filled Omnibus; YES on Cash for Clunkers, NO on waiving the harmful Davis-Bacon provision, and had a pathetic 0% score on the 2009 RePORK Card.
This party switch signals Griffith's nervousness, but it doesn't signal that his incumbency is safe.
Permalink: http://www.clubforgrowth.org/perm/?postID=12245
Member Comments (0) Add a Comment
