Freshman Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.) took a parting shot at Democrats as he stepped out the door to join the Republican Conference Tuesday afternoon.

“As the 111th Congress has progressed, I have become increasingly concerned that the bills and policies pushed by the current Democratic leadership are not good for North Alabama or our nation, and more importantly, they do not represent my values and convictions,” Griffith said at a news conference in Hunstville.

Citing his votes against top Democratic priorities since he entered Congress in January, he said now needs to “go even further and stand with a party that is more in tune with my beliefs and convictions.”

Griffith said the decision to quit the majority was not an easy one, but he wasted no time blasting his former party for an agenda he described as reckless.

“I now believe that the differences in the two parties could not be more clear,” he said.