Rep. Parker Griffith Switches to Republican Party
A Democratic House member who has opposed several of President Barack Obama’s top domestic agenda items is switching to the Republican Party.
Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama announced Tuesday that he will join the GOP.
“I have become increasingly concerned that the bills and policies pushed by the current Democratic leadership are not good for north Alabama or our nation,” he said during a press conference to announce the switch. “More importantly, they do not represent my values and convictions.”
Griffith voted against the Obama-backed economic stimulus package in February, he also opposed the House version of health care reform legislation.
He was one of only four Democrats who voted against each of three of Obama’s top legislative priorities in 2009: health reform, the stimulus, and cap-and-trade energy legislation.
”I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy, and drives us further and futher into debt,” Griffith said.
National Republican Conference Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, praised Griffith in a statement, saying that the Alabama lawmaker’s decision is “emblematic” of Americans’ uneasiness with the Democratic Party’s agenda.
