By Challen Stephens

and Mark McCarter

Times Staff Writers



Five months after U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith switched parties, the voters of North Alabama switched congressmen.

On Tuesday, Republican challenger and long-time conservative Mo Brooks handily won the three-way GOP primary, earning 35,712 votes, or 51 percent, and sending the incumbent home. Brooks avoided a runoff by about 600 votes.

Griffith received 23,495 votes, or 33 percent, and former Navy pilot Les Phillip earned 11,066 votes, or 16 percent.

But long before thosee results were final, as nervous Griffith staffers paced in a quiet banquet room, chants of "Mo! Mo! Mo!" began to echo through the Brook's hot, crowded headquarters.

"I know who our general election opponent is: (Speaker of the House) Nancy Pelosi," Brooks predicted from stage. "Our ultimate goal is not to win the primary. We have to do for America one thing, which is to get a new Speaker of the House.

"We must, as a people," said Brooks, who has represented south Huntsville on the Madison County Commission, "put a stop to what's going on in Washington before the nation goes over a cliff. We must stop those who believe socialism is the way to go."

Throughout the campaign, Brooks had repeated a similar theme of America at risk due to budget deficits and a drift to socialism. But most of his best lines were aimed at his chief opponent, as he labeled Griffith "arrogant," an unprincipled "chameleon" and a poll-driven "parrot."

Griffith, who had fired back that Brooks was a "career politician," instead campaigned on various Republican talking points, arguing for a reduced rate of corporate income tax, a moratorium on the capital-gains tax, the repeal of recent healthcare reforms and the repeal of the estate tax.

Griffith had won the support of several fellow Republicans in Congress. He had the name recognition, the power of the incumbency and the deep pockets. A former oncologist turned businessman, Griffith spent more than $50 per vote in the primary. Brooks, an attorney, spent less than $10 per vote.

But after the fateful decision to switch parties on Dec. 22, Griffith was unable to win over the voters of either party.

The switch had outraged Democrats who had helped elect him in 2008. In fact, many on his staff resigned. And Griffith gave up his committee seats, spending seven weeks without an assignment in Congress.

But perhaps most damaging for his re-election hopes, Griffith had not worked beforehand to secure his welcome among the local GOP leaders.

On Jan 18, in a contentious debate over barring Griffith from the ballot, the Madison County Republican Executive Committee voted to endorse both of his opponents. The local party doesn't normally take sides in its own primary.

Yet, Griffith won more votes than his opponents in Lauderdale, Colbert and Jackson counties, according to his staffers. But it wasn't enough. Griffith did not appear at his campaign reception on Tuesday and sent word at 10:15 p.m. that he would not make a statement.

"If he hadn't switched parties this would be another ordinary night in his life," said one supporter seated just outside the banquet room.

Late Tuesday Griffith e-mailed the following statement: "I look forward to working in Congress on behalf of the people of North Alabama over the next six months. We have a lot of ongoing issues that are important to this community and I will continue to work on those issues and fight for the people of North Alabama."

The 5th Congressional District has not elected a Republican representative in more than a century, and Brooks will now face Democratic nominee Steve Raby in November.

Brooks noted that had the general election been held Tuesday, he would have outpolled Raby by more than 7,000 votes. "There is a new wave coming in the 5th Congressional District," Brooks said on Tuesday, "and our campaign is part of that wave."

Phillip, the third candidate in the GOP primary, could not be reached late Tuesday for comment.

Brooks offered his prayers for Griffith and his wife and said of Phillip that "he has a strong, bright future in the Republican party."

He spoke of the often heated campaign as a basketball practice where "sometimes elbows are thrown against teammates ... it makes you more capable of winning real games."