State Sen. Parker Griffith (D) has earned the endorsement of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats in his race to replace retiring Rep. Bud Cramer (D) in the 5th district.

Griffith was joined by Blue Dog Co-Chairman Mike Ross (Ark.) and Cramer, who is one of the co-founders of the coalition, during an announcement conference call on Tuesday.

Griffith, who was personally endorsed by Cramer in April, earned 90 percent of the vote in his primary race last week and also earned the distinction of winning more raw votes than any Alabama Congressional candidate on the ballot.

He will face the winner of the July runoff between commercial insurance broker Wayne Parker (R) and attorney Cheryl Baswell Guthrie (R).

“Dozens of Democratic candidates are seeking the Blue Dog endorsement and, quite frankly, it’s hard to come by,” Ross said on Tuesday, noting that Griffith is only the sixth candidate the group has endorsed this cycle. “We don’t want to endorse Democrats to simply provide them political cover as being part of this conservative Democratic movement.”

When asked about the endorsement status of Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, another Democratic candidate who is running on a conservative platform, in the open 2nd district race, Ross said: “He is being given serious consideration. … I expect you’ll be hearing more about Bobby in the future.”

— John McArdle