Alabama Gets a New Republican Seat
Today, Representative Parker Griffith (AL-05) switched parties from Democrat to Republican (see the Politico: House Dem blames leaders for party switch). This takes the ratio of seats in the state back to 5-2 (Reps to Dems), where it had been for some time prior to the Democrats winning AL02 upon the retirement of Republican Terry Everett, taking the state to 4-3 for less than a year.
My guess is that this is pure electoral politics, i.e., Griffith likely thinks that he has a better chance at re-election as a Republican. Further, as Steve Benen right notes, Griffith has hardly been the model member of the Democratic caucus (i.e., he has voted heavily with the Reps).
The fifth district spans the northern counties of the state and includes the city of Huntsville. Prior to Parker’s switch, the district had been solidly Democratic—dating back to 1897 (and really, since Reconstruction). The previous holder of the seat, Bud Cramer, 
a conservative Democrat, held the seat from 1991-2009 (and, as James Joyner rightly notes, “There was virtually no such thing as a Republican in Alabama until the mid-1980s. Bud Kramer held the seat from 1991 until this year, following Ronnie Flippo, who’d held the seat since 1977. Let’s just say that neither of them was exactly a Nancy Pelosi Democrat.” Indeed). In 2006 Cramer won the seat unopposed and in 2004 won 73.1% to 26.9%, defeating Republicans Gerry Wallace. With such an electoral history it is no shock that a Democrat won in 2008 (especially given the anti-GOP mood in that election). However, it is worth noting that Griffith won a fairly close race (in historical terms for the district) in 2008, besting Wayne Parker 52%-48%.
As the Politico piece notes the district is more Red than Blue:
Though it has never elected a Republican to Congress, Griffith’s seat has a long conservative tradition and has backed Democrats who have a brand independent from the national party. As a result of the district’s Democratic heritage, Democrats still hold the majority of state legislative seats within the 5th Congressional District’s boundaries.
The district, however, is trending Republican: A wave of new residents is moving into the Huntsville suburbs, where the area’s burgeoning aerospace and defense industries have created a miniboom. And those voters, with fewer ties to the area’s past politics, have been reliably Republican at the national level.
The district gave John McCain a resounding 61 percent of the vote last year — a tick above the 60 percent President George W. Bush won in 2004.
Given the district’s history, Cramer’s success as a conservative Democrat, and the anti-GOP mood of 2008, it was no surprise that the route to control the seat at that time was as a Democrat. However, given the long-term conservative nature of the district it is no shock that Griffith has been more in line with the GOP voting-wise and that electorally this was the right more for him.
The Republicans are also, no doubt, eyeing AL02 and conservative Democrat Bobby Bright, who ran the first time as friendly to Republicans (see here). Indeed, without a doubt, I think that Bright made a conscious, strategic choice to run as Democrat in 2008 because he knew that that nomination would be easier to get than the Republican one. He had previously been the non-partisan mayor of Montgomery and it was clear that he could have run as either a Rep or a Dem in 2008.
Source for map: click.
Cross-posted from PoliBlog.
25 Responses to “Alabama Gets a New Republican Seat”
From this Tennessean I say Alabamians are animals anyway. Let them lose their souls…
Exactly. He should have declared himself independent.
In all seriousness, Parker Griffith made a stupid decision. Unlike prior party-switching Alabamians like Richard Shelby, Parker Griffith does not have decades of goodwill built up among the electorate. In fact, he voted 84% with the Democrats. You think that's not going to come back to haunt him in the GOP primary?
I love it, more Republicans supporting small government living of the government's tit…
Who cares what party, R,D, or I. All labels. Is he against this particular HCR for the 'correct' reasons or is he a carpetbagger? As an MD, I hope he has a Hippocratic viewpoint on HCR: do no harm.
He is to stupid to negotiate anything for his district so he turn-coated. Good.
Republicans are stupid treasonous basterds so he is now in good company.
There are no “correct” reasons to be against this healthcare reform. None.
As a doctor, he is just another businessman to me. No better than a shoe salesman in his circumstance.
Have I mentioned lately that businessmen need to be horsewhipped daily? Simply so that the karma of the universe remains undisturbed and the rest of us are not put at risk by their ugly BS.
Maybe so, but I think he made it from the heart, not the brain.
Meanwhile more Democrats are lining up looking for bribes
Nelson Says More Senators Seeking Special Treatment in Light of Nebraska Deal
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/22/nels…
The AP has a rundown of the Concessions so far
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALe…
Darn and all this time I thought we were what Sheldon Whitehouse called us, ie racist, birthers from right-wing militias and Aryan support groups…..
Guess I better trade in my white hood for a jihadi outfit and go suicide bomb some military base eh?
“Republicans are stupid treasonous basterds so he is now in good company.”
“Have I mentioned lately that businessmen need to be horsewhipped daily? Simply so that the karma of the universe remains undisturbed and the rest of us are not put at risk by their ugly BS.”
This blog is not a voice of “moderates” but dominated by the hard core left with a smattering of neocons and other malcontents. Nothing wrong with that, but how about some truth in advertising? The “Moderate Voice”? Spare me the platitude. Whose moderate voice?? The editor is in the distinct minority here. By the way, spelling is a prereq to expository. It's spelled “bastards”…
Sit down, Leonidas, or you might fall down.
I agree with you.
keelaay,
May I point out that the remarks you quoted as evidence that TMV is “not moderate” come from a READER? Not a staff member or a contributing writer? Did you notice additionally that the particular reader who made those remarks is quite atypical in both his opinions and the manner in which he chooses to express them?
I think your comment was unfair in the extreme, and I think you owe everyone at TMV an apology.
I felt that way not so long ago, when there was an even more left side orientation (at least in my opinion), we are seeing more conservative oriented posting now. But one thing I did, was to volunteer to write to help fix what I saw as imbalance. I was offered a chance to post via submitting items to T-Steel, and while I'm not incredibly prolific I have posted a few items. I suggest sending T-Steel an email and telling him your concerns and offerring to submit more moderate material according to your definition, but be warned, the staff here might actually take you up on the offer.
If you see a problem, sometimes the best thing to do is to step up and offer to help fix it.
Absolutely. It's our game now and it's about time the republican Benedict Arnolds knew it.
Actually Leonidas, we have a nice spot in a re-education camp reserved for you. Where we will teach you to share.
Really?!
Apparently you have not heard my liturgy against gay rights.
BTW, “basterds” is spelled correctly. It is a reference in humor to the movie title “Inglorious Basterds”. A horrible movie about a hillbilly Jew whom kills “Natzis” with aplomb.
KATHY–I would have taken you to this awful movie Kathy, my Bohemian wiseacre, but you hate me. Would have done me good to watch you salivate at the horrible disfiguring deaths of so many conservatives.
What's wrong with this guy? Don't you think he's old enough to use his brains?
Are they still using Lithium for your condition, will it be covered in the new HCR bill.
That's the spelling when you are off your meds.
2009's Most Valuable Democrat Is…
No great loss for the Democrats…
Good idea…
Ms Kattenburg: I had thought (mistakenly?) that this “internet hub” included the readers and participants, and I remain surprised that so many of them are in my view far from moderate as evidenced by much of the discourse. Yes the staff contributions are more centrist (I would argue left of center, but who's counting?) Again, that's not necessarily a good or bad thing, and I stated such. But your masthead reads “An Internet hub for moderates, centrists, and independents”. If that includes the participants, readers, and their comments (your “customers” actually), it seems to this reader that the Moderate Voice is a hub that is drawing more ideologues than centrists. That I believe too often drives the discourse to argument and flames. You might disagree with that, but I don't see where apology is required. Its an observation based on the actual discourse from the participants on the site. I came to this site hoping to find ideas from and discourse with, generally, moderates and independents. Some of those folks are indeed here… but fewer than I would have thought. But its your blog and certainly nobody is forcing me or anybody else to read it.
A couple of points…..
Good luck in your search, but after four years' of looking, there isn't one to be found. (I would be grateful to be proven wrong).
As an Ayn Rand libertarian with a pragmatic streak, I find either the predominant genre's are either of RedState or FireDogLake philosophies. AtlasShrugs is a dissappointment for its susceptibility to conspiracy theories. Reason is a dissapointment because it is more a thinkpiece magazine than a discussion forum. You might try Ann Althouse……it is lively and does jump around unpredictably on philosophy, albeit largely around a centrist core.
Joe's philosophy of getting to centrism seems to be largely by means of averaging out the polarity of individual editors rather than enforcing a code of writing for balance within each editor's article. To his credit, he has led by example recently by intentionally writing in a point/counterpoint fashion when dissecting his favorite subject…polls. And based on Leo's responses to a couple of recent Kattenburg posts, she has advertently or inadvertently composed to achieve the same style.
Father_Time is our resident homophobic, zenophobic, misogynistic hater of all things Republican. DQ is our resident hater of all things individualistic, capitalistic or non-Union/non trades. He regales us with the superior environments of European socialism, but for some reason, doesn't just move there and find happiness. Sil is our resident liberal conspiracy theorist with her own counterintuitive dose of homophobia and religious fundamentalism thrown in…….Go figure.
Nonetheless, I see you bring your own bias baggage by your claim of “neocons” here. I've been here four years….and while there were some here (like me) who supported trying to get the prosecution of the Iraq War figured out (i.e., Petraeus thinking) and didn't necessarily shed a tear for the removal of Saddam, but to a man/woman, we never defended the efficacy of Bremer, Rumsfeld or Bush nor “nation-building” as a philosophy. Certainly, as far as Afghanistan goes, while some of my colleagues are willing to go with another surge round, many of us have concluded it will be a similar low yield endeavour.
I would advance your points for awhile instead of advancing complaints against posters who Joe has no control over their medication doses.
Point well taken. Neocons was bad choice of words. Again, I have — in my view — found the discourse to be more ideologue than moderate. That's my opinion as customer of this blog… and this blog is certainly not made for my benefit. So be it…
As a fairly new member of this forum, I am glad there are plenty of outliers here. How boring to go down the middle of the fairway (whoops, how did Tiger get in here?) all the time. Much better to go into the bushes (whoops, again) for a true taste of the country side, gopher holes and all. For the hookers, there is always Spitzer to skewer, for the slicers a dose of HCR. Merry, Happy, Festus to all.
I have indeed read some gay rights tirades here. It was “illuminating”.