Alabama Rep Switches to GOP

A House Democrat will announce Tuesday that he plans to defect from his party and become a Republican.

Alabama congressman Parker Griffith's decision was spurred by his opposition to the House health care reform bill, according to Politico. He was one of only four Democrats to vote against the legislation.

Parker will be the first Republican to serve the district, which he narrowly won in November 2008.

According to the report, Griffith's voting record is one of the most conservative among Democrats in Congress. In addition to voting against the health care reform bill, he was one of 11 Democrats to vote against the stimulus plan. He, with 16 other Democrats, also voted against the Matthew Shepard Act last spring; the act expanded hate-crimes law to cover crimes motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity.