A top aide to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus is being urged to return home to Alabama and run for Congress in the state’s upcoming special congressional election.
Wells Griffith, 30, the deputy chief of staff at the RNC and native of Mobile, Ala., is fielding phone calls from Alabama Republicans asking him to consider a campaign, sources said.
Griffith is an attorney with experience in Alabama and Mississippi politics, and most recently traveled the country with Priebus during the 2012 campaign.
The Mobile Press-Register lists Griffith as a Republican “on the fence” about a run.
Griffith and his family have deep roots in Mobile, the largest city in the coastal district. His family’s iconic downtown Griffith Service Station on the oak tree covered Government Street was founded by his grandfather in 1958. It is owned and operated by his father, Preston Griffith, and his uncle today.
Sources said Griffith would likely argue in a congressional campaign that his experience navigating Washington would be an asset that would allow him to hit the ground running at the Capitol after a special election.
A large contingent of Republicans are expected to throw their hats into the ring to replace GOP Rep. Jo Bonner, who announced his resignation last week to take a new job in the state.
Griffith has been at the RNC in Washington for the last two years. After working on political races in the South, he was one of Priebus’ early hires at the committee, becoming a trusted counsel to the chairman.
A former executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party, Griffith ran Rep. Steven Palazzo’s successful primary campaign in 2010. That year he also was general election campaign manager for Alabama State Sen. Bryan Taylor of Prattville.
Those who have already announced intentions to run for the seat include conservative columnist Quin Hillyer and State Rep. Randy Davis. Other well-known Alabama politicos, including former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne, are also considering running for the seat.
