Update - Griffith's campaign said they would return the data or delete it
h/t to Left in Alabama for their excellent coverage of the Griffith switcheroo
We've added the AL-05 Dem Nominee Fund to the Progressive Electorate Act Blue Page - We are actively trying to recruit a top notch candidate and much more progressive to the fold that Griffith ever would have been
*breaking news -Ag Commish Ron Sparks said he is not ruling out a run
From the Alabama Democratic Party
Alabama Democrats Demand Return of Voter Data from Griffith Campaign
Montgomery, AL – On the eve of his announcement of his party switch, Main Street Strategies, the Huntsville political consulting shop of Parker Griffith, downloaded sensitive voter identification data that was the property of the Alabama Democratic Party. This final act was obviously intended to aid Mr. Griffith in his new role as a Republican candidate. Upon hearing of Mr. Griffith’s switch, security measures were taken to prevent further transfers of data.
"The Democratic Party has spent untold sums of money building good data for elections and we make that data available to our Democratic candidates and officeholders. Mr. Griffith’s campaign benefited from this asset, and he wouldn’t be a Congressman today without it. Yet, in the wee hours before he became a Republican, Parker Griffith’s political operatives, with full knowledge of what was occurring, went online and downloaded our confidential records," Chairman Joe Turnham said.
"Congressman Griffith and Main Street Strategies’ operatives knew full well this information was the property of the Democratic Party. We call on him to apologize and see that this data is immediately deleted from his consultant’s hard drive or we will look into possible legal action," said Jim Spearman, Executive Director of the Alabama Democratic Party.
"It is my personal hope that Congressman Griffith knew nothing of this act and that it was the lone unethical action of a political consultant. But the party will consult with our attorney, and with authorities if necessary, to assess our remedy in these matters. If an apology is made and the data returned, we could consider moving on based on the goodwill of this season." Turnham said.
Like I said numerous times yesterday, Griffith's defections is really a win win for us. We new he was a snake in the grass and a liar. He voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Act which was just plain wrong for many reasons including the fact that Ms. Ledbetter is from Alabama.
Ron Sparks, who is currently running for Gov although faces an uphill battle in the Dem nominee against Artur Davis, would be a top notch recruit. He would be an awesome candidate to take on Griffith. I think if we could raise some serious money for this nominee fund, Sparks would be very encouraged to run. This would be a win win.
cross posted at The Progressive Electorate