Freshman Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.) will announce his intent this afternoon to switch parties and join the Republican conference.

A GOP source familiar with the decision confirmed Tuesday morning that the announcement will take place at 2 p.m. in Huntsville, where Griffith keeps a Congressional office. The source requested anonymity so as not to pre-empt the announcement.

Griffith beat Republican Wayne Parker in a bitter 2008 general election to replace nine-term Democratic Rep. Bud Cramer . The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent over $1 million in independent expenditures to help elect Griffith and the National Republican Congressional Committee spent more than half a million dollars trying to swing the seat to the GOP.

Since his election Griffith has distinguished himself as one of the most consistent votes against his Democratic leadership, lining up against the party on the stimulus package, the budget, the climate change bill, the health care overhaul, Wall Street reform, and the most recent jobs bill.

And he has been an outspoken critic of the leadership team, declaring during an August town hall on health care reform that he would not support Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) re-election as Speaker.