After announcing on March 21 that he was entering the 5th district race, state Sen. Parker Griffith (D) only had 10 days to raise money before his first-quarter campaign report was due to the Federal Election Commission.

But in that short amount of time, Griffith took in more than $115,000, according to a campaign news release. The campaign said that 80 percent of that total came from in-state contributions.

“I am humbled and thankful for the overwhelming support I have received from this community as soon as I announced my candidacy,” said Griffith, who is looking to replace retiring Rep. Bud Cramer (D) in the Northern Alabama seat. “People are quickly joining our campaign because they know I will carry on the proud tradition of independent, effective representation that North Alabama deserves and will represent our values in Congress.”

But Republicans are excited at the prospect of an open-seat race in a district where the GOP routinely has dominated Democrats in presidential elections. In 2004, President Bush took 60 percent of the vote in the 5th district despite the fact that Cramer won his re-election campaign that year with 73 percent.

The leading Republican candidate is advertising executive Wayne Parker, a two-time nominee against Cramer in the 1990s.
— John McArdle