Parker Griffith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Bud Cramer |
| Succeeded by | Mo Brooks |
| Member of theAlabama Senate from the7th district | |
| In office November 8, 2006 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Jeff Enfinger |
| Succeeded by | Paul Sanford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rolf Parker Griffith Jr. (1942-08-06)August 6, 1942 (age 83) Shreveport,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 2009, 2014–present) Republican (2009–2013) Independent (2013–2014) |
| Spouse | Virginia Griffith |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (BS) Louisiana State University, New Orleans (MD) |
Rolf Parker Griffith Jr. (born August 6, 1942) is an American politician, entrepreneur, and physician who served as theU.S. representative forAlabama's 5th congressional district from 2009 to 2011. A member of theDemocratic Party, he served in theAlabama Senate from 2006 to 2009.
A lifelong member of theDemocratic Party, while serving in Congress, at the urging ofRepublicans he switched parties on December 22, 2009.[1][2][3] He ran for re-election in2010 but was defeated in the Republican primary byMo Brooks. Griffith ran against Brooks in a rematch in2012 but was defeated by a larger margin. He later returned to the Democratic Party in 2014 and unsuccessfully ran forGovernor of Alabamathat year.[4]
Griffith was born inShreveport,Louisiana. He taught 7th-grade arithmetic for less than a year atT.H. Harris Junior High School (later Middle School) inMetairie inJefferson Parish insuburbanNew Orleans prior to being admitted to medical school. He received his medical degree from theLouisiana State University Medical School in 1970 and served in residency at theUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. After serving at the LSU Service Charity Hospital inNew Orleans and a year of neurosurgery at theUniversity of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, Griffith began preparing to become aradiation oncologist, one who specializes in using radiation to cure cancer, training in radiation oncology through a combined program between UTMB and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He served as a Medical Corps captain in theU.S. Army Reserve from 1970 to 1973, while continuing his medical training at theLSU Service Charity Hospital in New Orleans.[5]
Griffith was recruited on a "cold call" to Alabama and established the Huntsville Cancer Treatment Center.[which?][when?] As a physician, he provided discounted care to patients who lacked insurance. Griffith also conducted several clinical trials in conjunction with theUniversity of Alabama School of Medicine, and partnered withSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital inMemphis, Tennessee.[6] He retired from medicine in December 1992, though he still holds a license to practice in both Alabama and Texas. As of February 18, 2024 the Alabama board of Medical Examiners and the Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama hold no record for a licensed Parker Griffith.
Griffith unsuccessfully ran formayor of Huntsville against the three-termincumbent,Loretta Spencer in 2004. He then won a seat in the Alabama State Senate, representing the7th district. He carried 66% of the vote to his opponent's 34%.[7]
During his term in the State Senate, he sponsored bills to promote investment in alternative fuels, cut taxes, and establish a Statewide Trauma Care System to speed up critical medical care.[citation needed]
On March 22, 2008 Griffith announced that he would run for the open seat in the 5th District. The district's 9-term incumbent, fellow DemocratBud Cramer, was not running for reelection.[8] He won the June 2008 Democratic primary election with 90% of the vote, defeating physicist David Maker. Cramer had endorsed Griffith in the primary.[9]
Griffith facedRepublican Wayne Parker, an insurance agent from Huntsville, in the November election. Parker had sought this seat unsuccessfully twice before, in 1994 and 1996, losing both times to Bud Cramer.
The 5th was considered one of the few realistic chances for a Republican pickup in what was forecast to be a very bleak year for Republicans because of the district's and state's recent voting history. While Democrats still held most local offices as well as most state legislative seats in the area, the district's residents had become increasingly willing to support Republicans at the national and state level. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1984,[10] andGeorge W. Bush andJohn McCain won the district by wide double-digit margins in 2000, 2004 and, ultimately, 2008.
Due to these trends, most forecasters rated the district as a toss-up.CQ Politics forecast the race as 'No Clear Favorite',The Cook Political Report ranked it 'Democratic Toss-Up', andThe Rothenberg Political Report rated it 'Pure Toss-Up'.[11][12][13]
Griffith prevailed by taking 52 percent of the vote to Parker's 48 percent. He carried all but one of the district's seven counties. This came even as McCain (who carried the 5th with 61 percent of the vote) and Alabama SenatorJeff Sessions (whose seat was up for re-election) won every county in the district. His victory, and that ofBobby Bright in the 2nd District, gave Alabama two white Democratic congressmen for the first time sinceGlen Browder andTom Bevill left the House in 1997.
Griffith ran for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 2010, but was defeated in the June 1 Republican primary by Madison County CommissionerMo Brooks. Brooks received 51% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off. Griffith received 33%. Conservative activist Les Phillip received 16%.
In January 2012, he filed for a rematch against Brooks in the Republican primary. He said of the incumbent, "We'll contrast my time in Congress with my opponent's time in Congress. The distinction is clear, he has wandered away from many of the issues people want us to address."[14] Brooks defeated him in the rematch 71%–29%, a landslide margin of 42 points. He won all five of the counties.[15]
Supporters of Griffith circulated petitions to place him on the November ballot as anIndependent.[16] Griffith considered running but decided against it.[17]
Griffith has stated that he leans conservative on a variety of issues, though not all. He states he is a fiscal conservative who has called repeatedly for reducing the national debt. He is a strong supporter ofNASA and America's dominance in space.[18]
Griffith voted against theAffordable Health Care for America Act, cap-and-trade legislation and the 2009 economic stimulus act.[19]
Griffith was a member of theBlue Dog Coalition,[20] but on December 22, 2009, he announced he would become a Republican. He cited the health care bill as a major reason for his switch, and he had also clashed with the Democrats over fiscal and foreign policy. During his announcement, he stated:
I believe our nation is at a crossroads and 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 further into debt.[21]
The GOP had been courting Griffith since August, when he publicly criticized the Democratic House leadership in the wake of raucous town hall meetings in his district, stating that he wouldn't vote forNancy Pelosi as Speaker as she is "divisive and polarizing".[1] He also opposed the White House's decision to cancel a missile defense shield in Europe, which could have contributed to Huntsville's defense industry.[22] His switch is the first time a member of Congress switched from the majority party to the minority party sinceNew York RepresentativeMichael Forbes' switch from Republican to Democrat in 1999.[23] Forbes also lost his primary campaign following his switch. The 5th was one of the few districts in the former Confederacy that, at the time, had not elected a Republican sinceReconstruction.
In January 2010, rebelling against his party switch, Griffith's congressional staff resigned en masse, including his chief of staff, legislative director, press secretary, and his intern.[24][25] Shortly after switching parties, Griffith joined theRepublican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative House Republicans.
Griffith's voting record veered sharply to the right after his switch. He'd garnered a 56 from theAmerican Conservative Union in 2009, but in 2010 garnered a 95.
Upon Griffith's party switch, he became the first Republican to representAlabama's 5th district sinceJohn Benton Callis, who was elected to a single term (1868-1870) during Reconstruction.
Griffith ran forGovernor of Alabama in the 2014 election. He returned to the Democratic Party in February 2014, with the State Party voting to reinstate him. He was successful in obtaining the party's nomination but lost decisively to the incumbent,Robert J. Bentley, in the general election.[26]
During the election, Griffith conducted an interview with radio show host Matt Murphy. On September 10, 2014, Murphy revealed that the two had an off-air altercation, during which Griffith called Murphy a "pussy", "piece of shit", and "motherfucker". Murphy also alleged that Griffith had threatened to "whip [Murphy's] ass". Griffith apologized for the incident.[27]
During the2022 United States Senate election in Alabama, Griffith publicly supported Republican candidateKatie Britt, stating he had one of her campaign signs in his yard.[28] In April 2022, Griffith appeared onThe Jeff Poor Show, a radio program, where he criticizedMichael Durant, one of Britt's opponents in the election. During his appearance, Griffith diagnosed Durant withpost-traumatic stress disorder without medical backing and compared Durant toAdolf Hitler andMao Zedong.[29] Durant's campaign responded with a statement calling on Britt to denounce Griffith's comments, calling Griffith's remarks "a slanderous attack on all veterans".[30]
Griffith resides inHuntsville with his wife, Virginia. The couple has five children and 11 grandchildren (to date). He co-founded the Griffith Family Foundation, which awards cash grants to elementary school libraries in northern Alabama. Since its founding in 2005, the foundation has donated over $50,000 to area schools.[6]
Griffith is anEpiscopalian.[31]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Parker Griffith | 158,324 | 52 | ||
| Republican | Wayne Parker | 147,314 | 48 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mo Brooks | 35,746 | 51 | |
| Republican | Parker Griffith | 23,525 | 33 | |
| Republican | Les Phillip | 11,085 | 16 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mo Brooks | 65,123 | 71 | |
| Republican | Parker Griffith | 26,680 | 29 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert J. Bentley (incumbent) | 750,231 | 63.56% | +5.66% | |
| Democratic | Parker Griffith | 427,787 | 36.24% | −5.86% | |
| Write-in | 2,395 | 0.20% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 1,180,413 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
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.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior House aides say freshman Democratic lawmaker Parker Griffith of Alabama is switching to the Republican Party
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's 5th congressional district 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Alabama 2014 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
