
(Griffith campaign)
Attorney and outgoing Virginia House majority leader Griffith staged one of the biggest upsets of the 2010 elections against 14-term Rep. Rick Boucher (D) for the House seat in Virginia's 9th district.
The win was a major victory for the GOP, which worked hard during the campaign to tie Boucher to President Obama. Boucher, meanwhile, tried to draw attention to the fact that Griffith lives in Salem, which is outside the 9th district.
Born in Philadelphia in 1958, Griffith was raised in Salem, Va., where he still lives today.
A graduate of Emory & Henry College and the Washington and Lee University School of Law, Griffith ran his own private practice before joining a Virginia-wide law firm.
In Richmond, Griffith was a skilled conservative legislator largely because of his knowledge of legislative rules. He said he intends to bring "a legislative crowbar" to Congress and "change the rules, because folks want us to do things differently."
Griffith says there should be no compromises on gun rights. "Some people don't like it, but guns have a special place in the Constitution,'' he said.
Griffith is closely connected with Virginia Republican Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Eric Cantor. When Goodlatte first ran for Congress in 1992, he contacted Griffith who was then the chairman of the Salem Republican Party and the two have been politically connected since. Cantor served in the Virginia House of Delegates with Griffith from 1994 to 2001.
Griffith says his official mentor is Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.).
- Kumar, Anita, "Va. Budget Shortfall Reaches $3.7 Billion" The Washington Post, Feb. 17, 2009
- McCown, Debra, "Griffith says with mandatory redistricting on horizon, he'll be in 9th next year" Bristol Herald Courier, Oct. 26, 2010
- Nolan, Jim, "Boucher, Griffith clash over cap-and-trade legislation at 9th District debate" Richmond Times-Dispatch, Oct. 22, 2010
- "Editorial: Defense spending must be curtailed" The Roanoke Times, Nov. 8, 2010
- Nolan, Jim, "Boucher loses 9th District seat he has occupied since 1983" Richmond Times-Dispatch, Nov. 3, 2010
- McCown, Debra, "Griffith's agenda includes rules for Congress, more jobs" Bristol Herald Courier, Sept. 25, 2010
- "Issues," Griffith Campaign
- Warren, Jay, "Candidate Profile: Del. Morgan Griffith" WSLS, Oct. 19, 2010
- Owens, Charles, "COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION: Griffith guarantees fight against Obama agenda" Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Oct. 22, 2010
- Sluss, Michael, "Griffith setting stage for Congressional bid" The Roanoke Times, Feb. 20, 2010
- Fisher, Marc, "The agony and the ecstasy of Washington" The Washington Post, Nov. 5, 2010
- Kumar, Anita, "Gun Show Measure Falters in Va. House" The Washington Post, Jan. 19, 2008
- Sluss, Michael, "Cuccinelli readies health reform suit against federal government" The Roanoke Times, March 23, 2010
- Coil, Kate, "Griffith ready to represent the 9th District in Washington" Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Nov. 4, 2010
- Lewis, Bob, "New congressman: 'I do know I'm a little nerdy'" The Associated Press, Nov. 27, 2010
- McCown, Debra, "Griffith, Boucher square off in Roanoke debate" Bristol Herald Courier, Oct. 22, 2010
- Pershing, Ben, "Griffith to get fundraising boost from McDonnell" The Washington Post, Aug. 27, 2010
- "Issues"
- "Candidate Profile" The Associated Press
- "GOP's Griffith Ousts 14-Term Dem Rick Boucher," Associated Press, November 2, 2010
- "2010 Election Results" The Washington Post
- Sluss, Michael, "Griffith picked to run in 9th" The Roanoke Times, May 23, 2010
- "Q & A with Morgan Griffith and Carter Turner" The Roanoke Star-Sentinel, Oct. 22, 2009
- Adams, Mason, "For Goodlatte, a fresh start; returns to Capitol Hill with more seniority" The Roanoke Times, Nov. 15, 2010
- Meola, Olympia, "New Va. lawmakers cite ways they'd cut spending" Richmond Times-Dispatch, Nov. 7, 2010
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