Alabama's Democratic Executive Committee is selecting a new party chairman at its organizational meeting next month in Birmingham.
Two candidates, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin aide Josh Coleman and 2018 second congressional district Democrat nominee Tabitha Isner, have formally announced their candidacies for the spot that will be vacated by current chairman State Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa), who recently announced he would not run for reelection as chairman when his term expires.
During an appearance on Wednesday's broadcast of Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," former U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith, the Democratic Party's 2012 gubernatorial nominee, expressed his interest in a run for the position.
"I have been a Democrat that has for 10 years felt like we needed to get rid of Pelosi and turn our back on the national party," Griffith said. "We have not demonstrated Democratic leadership that could adjust to change. As the national Democratic Party was turning its back on Alabama and its values and its traditions, our leadership here in Alabama was unable to adjust. There was no clarity. They did not challenge Democrats to change. There was no commitment. And therefore, the rank-and-file Democrats have lost tremendous confidence in themselves and are wallowing in failure.
"If there is no change in the Democratic Party, I'm talking significant change, then we are in for a political disaster. We are already rock bottom. And when you're rock bottom, there is never a better time to change. And hopefully, we'll see some change. They're going to need to accept the old saying, 'A wise man will change his mind, a fool never will.' Right now, the Democratic Party is led by fools. We're not wise. 'A wise man will change his mind. And, a fool never will' applies to the Democratic Party."
Griffith provided a laundry list of things the Alabama Democratic Party needs to change.
"We've got a lot of things to change," Griffith said. "We should change our attitude. We should change our direction and change our ability to lead. We really are stuck on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. That's basically what our problem is. We are reliving the '60s and the '70s a half-century ago. We have given our Democratic members an excuse to fail – to blame someone else. They have no accountability for themselves. They want to point the finger at the opposition party. In fact, the Democrats' biggest problem is Democrats. If we want a solution, it's going to be in a mirror that we hold up to ourselves."
Later, when Griffith was asked about the possibility of entering the fray, he said if nominated, he would compete for the job. However, despite being a member of the state's Democrat executive committee, he said he would not nominate himself.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
