Griffith Still Faces a Tough Primary

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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December 23, 2009

Griffith Still Faces a Tough Primary

The Huntsville Times notes Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL), who switched parties yesterday, still faces a very tough Republican primary if he expects to retain his seat.

Hotline On Call reports the Club for Growth criticized Griffith "for his votes in favor of some Dem priorities, and he already has other candidates in the race against him. If anything, Tea Party activists could see a GOP-held seat with no viable Dem contender, so far, as the perfect chance to campaign against a DC insider with a less than perfect voting record."

The symbolism of a party switch is devastating for Democrats, but it will quickly fade if Griffith's re-election race becomes another fight for the soul of the Republican party.

Meanwhile, one key data point that probably helped Griffith make the move: SurveyUSA shows President Obama's approval rating in Northern Alabama at just 30%.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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December 23, 2009