Judgement Day Comes for party Turn-coat Parker Griffith

[Clio the Leo]

Party Switcher Faces the Voters

Late last year, Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL) switched parties to run for re-election as a Republican. Today, as he faces a tough primary challenge, we'll find out if that was a good idea.

Though he hoped his party switch would endear him to Republican voters, the AP notes Griffith "finds himself in a three-way primary, being branded a 'flip-flopper,' and continues to battle lingering hard feelings over his win two years ago that left the coveted seat in Democratic control."

The Hotline: "But Griffith's situation reminds us of another candidate who decided he had a better shot running for re-election under the other party's banner. Griffith's long career in the state legislature as a Dem, his establishment support and his party switch, masquerading as a principled stand when it truly served his political interests, sounds just like the situation Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) found himself in before losing his primary. Griffith has to get 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff that would be held next month."

Read more: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/06/01/party_switcher_faces_the_voters.html