House Dem to switch to Republican Party
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/12/22/art.parker.gi.jpg caption="Griffith is switching to the Republican Party."]Washington (CNN) - Sources confirm to CNN that Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith will announce Tuesday that he's switching parties and will run for re-election next year as a Republican.
The freshman lawmaker represents Alabama's 5th Congressional District. Griffith won his seat last year by 3 points over Republican Wayne Parker. But the district went for Republican John McCain over Barack Obama by 23 points in the presidential election.
The Republican source was familiar with the decision but didn't want to preempt the announcement later Tuesday. The story was first reported by Politico. A Democratic aide also tells CNN Griffith is holding a staff meeting Tuesday morning to inform his staff of his decision, and will make a formal announcement at 2 p.m. ET.
Griffith was one of 39 Democrats who voted against the party's health care reform bill last month. His is only one of three Democrats to have voted against the health care bill, the stimulus measure, and the cap-and-trade bill.
Griffith pledged in August he would vote against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Speaker next session.
With Griffith's switch of parties, the Democrats will hold a 257-178 advantage in the House of Representatives.
- CNN's Evan Glass and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story
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Good Bye – Fairwell- and don't come back!
Flip-flopper. Probably doesn't support the troops either.
Alabama...enogh said.
He was never a Democrat based on his voting history...go join the other "NO" voters. We will be better off with you gone.
He's a Doctor and doesn't like the Health Care Scam Bill. What does he know that the rest of us don't? That's pretty telling in itself. I suspect he will be the first of several in the next year who either leave or switch parties. That's what hope and change gets you – you HOPE, see that the administration is a farce and then CHANGE parties.
He has always been nothing but a self-serving low-life. One thing he is not is a staesman with the country's or his state's best interests in mind.
No one trusts a flip-flopper. How do you know he won't change back? I could understand if he changed to indepndent.
So much for the GOP being dead and buried!
The dems are going down over healthcare in a big way.
You either get the bill #1 That over taxes the people, creates debt, weakens medicare, provides public funds for abortion and provides free health insurance for illegals!
Or #2 That over taxes the people, creates debt, weakens medicare and creates a government option.
Good. One less Repuke pretending to be a Democrat.
I wonder how many more democrats will follow suit? They are starting to realize no one is going to vote Democrat in November 2010. Nobody was the entire country to be like california.
An opportunist.....nothing more!
Look at his voting record...NO LOSS!
From John: Is anyone surprised? The Republican Party is indeed the "party of the southern white man."
Obviously, He hasn’t heard of Allen West. (Youtube him boys!) I’m a poor, white Kentuckian that sent him, an African-American, a campaign donation.
How many "Judas" are we going to count this decade? He has just joined the list.
To all you people trashing the South. Ha look at all your northern economies, run by Liberals this whole time and gone down the tube while our economies are still growing. States like Michigan and cities like Pittsburg, Detroit and oh yeah Chicago. New York is the only city that turned itself down and it took a Republican to do it. Thats why so many of you come here for jobs and bring your ideas with you so you can turn our states into junk like what you left.
Just goes to show how much more emphasis this society puts on labels over substance.
well least he looks like a Repulican all smiles while he is reaching for your wallet.
If these were his views all along, why was he a Dem in the first place???
Weenie!
Good riddance. He was their boy already.
Good ! He is only doing that becasue his district are some southerns racists.
We Republicans would be thrilled to take him,as moderate-to-conservative views almost seem criminal in the Democrook Party.
He should have to give back the 1.2 Mil that helped to put him in office. He was a blue dog which is an insult to dogs and the color blue. He is a green, slim bag.
Well if being a "liberal Democrat" means NO WAR AND HELP THE MIDDLE CLASS, AND LEADING.....
Seems pretty simple to me....
He will not be missed nor did I really know he existed!
Liberal Yellow Dog from Oklahoma,
It sounds to me he was never a true liberal democrat in the first place so I don’t see a problem of him becoming a republican.
When a republican changes parties to become a democrat, then democrats call the person wise and a true leader. Moreover, republicans point out the person was not a true conservative and the move was a smart move on their part.
Nevertheless, the democrats call that person every nasty mean spirited name they can come up with.
It again proves a point that it is these liberal democrats are the ones who want to divide people in this country and not the republicans as they try to say it is.
Liberal democrats are just a bunch of jackbooted thugs that hate every one that does not agree with their far left views of how our country should be ran. They are far worst then any republican they call mean and nasty names about.
Clearly he belongs with the Republicans, so why did he run as a Democrat to begin with? Conservative Democrats are one thing, but why run with a party that you don't agree with on anything?