Griffith goes negative on challenger

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Party-switching Rep. Parker Griffith, facing his first election as a Republican in next month’s Alabama congressional primary, is up with an attack ad that seeks to define GOP foe Mo Brooks as a “career politician.”

Griffith’s ad begins by criticizing Brooks, a Madison County commissioner, for running a negative campaign against the incumbent. Then the ad turns its fire on Brooks's record in local office, charging him with raising taxes and indulging in wasteful spending.

The ad’s tag line: “Mo Brooks: Career politician. Big spender. Part of the problem.”

Griffith, who was elected as a Democrat in 2008, has faced resistance from local Republican Party leaders since joining the GOP last December. Madison County Republicans endorsed two candidates running against Griffith in the primary, including Brooks. And Brooks’s campaign greeted Griffith’s new ad offensive as an indication that the incumbent may be losing ground.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37188.html