The Republicans just picked up a seat in the US House of Representatives without one vote being cast – doing it the way the Democrats did when they picked up a seat in the Senate this year. A member is switching the letter appended to his name in all the political journals.
Parker Griffith (D-AL) is now Parker Griffith (R-AL), just like that, going in the opposite direction than the one earlier chosen by Arlen Specter when he went from (R-PA) to (D-PA).
According to Talkingpointsmemo.com, Griffith is not guaranteed a free run back to the House. Conservative activist groups like Red State and The Club For Growth as not impressed with Griffith’s voting record, despite the fact that he has frequently bucked Democratic leadership in the House, and they believe a bona fide conservative Republican candidate can be put into the seat.
Democrats in Alabama say they will be working hard to put one of their own back in the seat as well.
Politico.com notes that the seat, serving the Hunstville and Decatur AL area, has long been in Democratic hands but has been targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee as one ripe for takeover. The Associated Press says it went very strong for McCain in the last presidential election.
RBR-TVBR observation: A seat that was ripe for battleground status is now ripe for a double dip. That would be the strong possibility of a serious primary battle on the Republican side. And if the Democrats fail to come up with a consensus candidate, there could be a primary battle on that side as well.
Worst case scenario for broadcast sales: The Democrats utterly fail to field a viable candidate, turning the Republican primary into the lone hot contest.
