In a move that some Democrats find unsurprising, first-term Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith announced yesterday that he was switching his party affiliation from the Democrats to the GOP. In a prepared statement, Griffith said there was no place in the Democratic Party for a "pro-business, pro-life, pro-Second Amendment" legislator.
"He went off the reservation a long time ago," a Democratic aide told MSNBC's First Read, adding, "This just confirms what we already knew for a long time. This is not based on his voting record. It's the way in which he's conducted himself."
Griffith has been in staunch opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was one of four House Democrats to oppose the stimulus, cap and trade, and health-care reformthe others are Walt Minnick, Idaho; Bobby Bright, Ala; and Mississippi's own Gene Taylor. He also voted against Wall Street reform and the Lilly Ledbetter act, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to remove the 180-day time limit for equal-pay discrimination lawsuits.
Regardless, his voting recordnearly 85 percent with the Democratic Partymay well be an issue for conservative Republicans in future elections. Elected just over a year ago, Griffith said yesterday that he would return campaign contributions if asked. The Congressman has more than $600,000 remaining in his campaign war chest, reports The Huntsville Times.
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