Alabama Democratic Party executive director Jim Spearman told TPMDC his party is more than ready to move on from Rep. Parker Griffith’s party switch, but probably won’t find a candidate to run for the seat until after the holidays.
“There are no specific names yet,” Spearman said. “There will be several people” on the party’s shortlist for nominees. Though he said he was in discussions with national party leaders yesterday, he said the Democrats have yet to discuss a replacement candidate or plan to get behind one.
Spearman said he was still surprised by Griffith’s turn away from the Democrats, who Spearman said used to be a “Liberal.” (Yesterday afternoon, Politico dug into Griffith’s fundraising past and discovered he contributed $1,500 to Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign).
Despite Griffith’s apparent fear that he could not be reelected as a Democrat from the district, Spearman said it remains “yellow dog territory” where the GOP can barely hope to get a municipal official elected, much less a representative. But he acknowledged the district’s electorate has shifted in recent years — but not enough to make it a cakewalk for the GOP.
“It hasn’t changed that much,” he said, saying there’s “slightly less” Democratic support there now after a divisive year in Congress.
Spearman said the district’s Democratic leanings began in the FDR era, when Tennessee Valley Authority projects rejuvenated one of the regions hardest hit in the Great Depression. The party chair said the improvements that came under the Democrats in the 40s have had a lasting effect, and he said his party’s list of local candidates in the district will provide a natural foundation for any Democrat that chooses to run.
Griffith’s party switch came as a surprise to the state party. Spearman said he first heard of Griffith’s decision to switch parties early Tuesday morning when a D.C. reporter called him to confirm the rumor that the fifth district seat — which has been held by a Democrat since Reconstruction — was about to change hands to the GOP.
Spearman said he has yet to speak with Griffith about his decision to switch to the GOP, a move that Spearman says he’s still scratching his head over.
“He used to be one of the most liberal people I’ve known,” Spearman said. “I guess things change.”
Editor’s Note: This post has been corrected.
