Parker Griffith calls Mo Brooks to concede, urges Brooks to apologize for immigrant r

Parker Griffith calls Mo Brooks to concede, urges Brooks to apologize for immigrant remark (video)

Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 11:42 PM Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 11:46 PM
Lee Roop, The Huntsville Times By Lee Roop, The Huntsville Times

Parker Griffith concedes to Mo Brooks--3.13.2012 Dr. Parker Griffith, speaking on his daughter's cellphone conceded the Republican Primary for U.S. Congress 5th District to incumbent Mo Brooks. During the conversation, he asks Brooks to apologize to the state of Alabama for his ethnic comments. (The Huntsville Times/ Michael Mercier). Watch video

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Parker Griffith called U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday to concede the 5th Congressional District race. But the conversation quickly turned to Griffith urging Brooks to publicly apologize for remarks made by Brooks as a freshman representative.

Griffith referred to comments made by Brooks in the heat of Alabama's debate about illegal immigrant workers. Brooks said he would support "anything short of shooting them" to get undocumented immigrant workers out of the state, adding, "anything that is lawful."

Griffith said that comment and a comment by state Sen. Scott Beason referring to people at casinos in a majority black county as "aborigines" will be used against the state in future BRAC competitions.
Parker Griffith calls Mo Brooks to concede, urges Brooks to apologize for immigrant remark (video) | al.com

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U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks defeats Parker Griffith in 5th Congressional District race with 60 percent of vote

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks handed challenger Parker Griffith a decisive defeat Tuesday night, capturing almost 60 percent of the Republican primary vote in the 5th Congressional District.

Brooks now faces Democrat Charlie Holley in the November general election. Holley called a press conference for today at which he promised to "issue a challenge to the Republican primary winner," presumably to debate.

In a rematch of their 2010 fight for the seat held by Griffith for one term, Brooks won all six counties in the newly re-drawn district. He won in the Muscle Shoals area where Griffith won two years ago, and he won overwhelmingly in the two men's home county of Madison.

Virtually complete but unofficial returns showed Brooks taking Jackson County by 1,885 votes to 1,212; Limestone by 9,379 to 3,924; Lauderdale by 4,289 to 3,338; Madison by 37,856 to 12,382; and Morgan County by 10,691 to 5,525.

Griffith conceded shortly after 9 p.m., saying he had funded his own campaign to give voters in the district a choice. "That's one of the reasons I feel good," Griffith said. "I don't feel good about losing."

Brooks claimed victory saying he was "out-spent 3-1, all of it on attack ads, and that's hard to deal with...."

Brooks said his campaign focused on his record, and he was "trusting the voters of Madison County to understand the difference between truth and fiction."

Embracing his high profile as a freshman House conservative, Brooks said he will campaign for Republicans in other states this year as the party tries to take back the White House and the Senate. "It's not about any individual me, it's about a collective us...," Brooks said. "The mission has just begun."

In his concession remarks, Griffith congratulated Brooks, but urged him to publicly apologize for "saying things that reflect poorly on Alabama ... just to throw some red meat to his base."

Referring to Brooks' remarks about illegal immigration, in which Brooks said he favored "anything short of shooting them... anything that is lawful" to get undocumented workers out of the state, Griffith said that "mean-spirited comment" would be used against the state in future BRAC competitions.

Griffith started the race behind, qualifying on the last day to enter the race and leaving himself only 60 days to campaign. The primary was moved up from June by the Legislature last year in a successful move to give Alabama more influence in the Republican presidential selection process.

Griffith's camp said the short campaign season was why he never raised much in the way of campaign contributions. Instead, the independently wealthy Griffith financed the campaign himself with a series of loans and cash contributions totaling $568,000 at the last accounting.

But Griffith clearly never overcame the problem that plagued him from the start. He was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 2008 and switched parties to become a Republican. That gave him credibility problems with both parties.

Asked if North Alabama voters would see his name on another ballot in the future, Griffith joked, "If I can find one unopposed."

VIDEO LINK: http://video-embed.al.com/services/p...L-P7DkOknMdjVB

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks defeats Parker Griffith in 5th Congressional District race with 60 percent of vote | al.com

ADDED TO ALIPAC HOMEPAGE News ..

ALIPAC Endorsed Congressman Mo Brooks is outspent yet Wins Race With 60% of Vote

http://www.alipac.us/content/alipac-...e-60-vote-258/