Party switcher Parker Griffith, Rep. Artur Davis lose in Alabama primaries

Alabama Republican Rep. Parker Griffith was soundly defeated in a Republican primary tonight, the second party switcher to lose an intraparty fight in the past two weeks.

Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks had 51 percent of the vote to Griffith's 33 percent and 16 percent for Les Phillip with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Although the Associated Press had not called the race, local media reported that Griffith had conceded the contest to Brooks.

Griffith, who had been elected as a Democrat to the northern Alabama 5th district, switched parties last year with promises from House Republican leaders that they would back him to the hilt.

But, he struggled to convince Republican primary voters that he was one of them; he was battered over his vote for Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) as House Speaker at the start of the 111th Congress, for example.

Griffith's problems were a mirror image of Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's (D) difficulties in his primary loss to Rep. Joe Sestak on May 18.

Griffith joins Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) as House members to lose their re-nomination bids. In the Senate, Specter as well as Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) have come up short in intraparty bids and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) faces a runoff race on June 8 against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.

Alabama Democrats showed a similar resistance to establishment favorites in the governor's race.

Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks crushed Rep. Artur Davis in the Democratic primary for governor, ending Davis' hopes of becoming the state's first black governor.

"We worked hard, we fussed hard, we cried hard," Sparks said. "Thank you for allowing me to be in the position I'm in."

The Associated Press called the race for Sparks shortly before 11 pm eastern time and Sparks holding a lead of nearly 30 points.

Davis had long been touted as a star on the national stage but his insistence on opposing President Barack Obama's agenda in a failed attempt to keep himself viable in a general election coupled with his long-running feud with the state's unelected black leaders combined to make his showing a major disappointment.

Rick Dent, campaign manager for Sparks, told the Fix that Davis' vote against President Obama's health care legislation "hurt him in the African-American community."

The Republican gubernatorial race is headed to a July 13 runoff. Former state Sen. Bradley Byrne secured one of the spots but businessman Tim James and state Rep. Robert Bentley were separated by less than 300 votes in the fight for the second slot.

Two hundred miles to the west, national Republicans got some good news as Mississippi state Sen. Alan Nunnelee won the GOP nomination in the 1st district without a runoff.

Nunnelee took 51 percent of the vote in the race against former Europa Mayor Henry Ross and Fox News Channel commentator Angela McGlowan. McGlowan placed a distant third despite a last-minute endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- via Twitter!

Nunnelee will face Rep. Travis Childers (D) in the fall in a district that gave Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) 62 percent of the vote in 2008 and that will be a major GOP pickup target this fall.

Across the country in New Mexico, Dona Ana District Attorney Susana Martinez cruised to a victory in the GOP primary for governor.

"Susana Martinez's historic nomination is great news for New Mexico," said Republican Governors Association spokesman Tim Murtaugh. "

Martinez will face Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, in the fall.

With Felicia Sonmez