This past weekend, the Alabama Democratic Party (ADP) executive committee elected Huntsville pastor Randy Kelley as the party’s new chairman.

Kelley, who served as the party’s vice chairman under former APD chair Nancy Worley, succeeds outgoing chairman and current State Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa).

During a Tuesday appearance on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” former U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith (D) asserted that Kelley’s election as ADP chair represented a “fringe” element of the political left taking over the reins of Alabama’s minority party.

“Remember the leadership of the Democratic Party does not represent Alabama,” Griffith said. “In theory it does, but in reality it does not. It’s just like the Pope does not represent all the Catholics. You can’t have a leader that’s a fringe element and expect everyone to follow him.”

The former North Alabama congressman indicated that Kelley’s rhetoric, along with him being aligned with longtime progressive leader Joe Reed, proved that he was excessively left-wing to be a true representative for Alabama Democrats.

“A Black power group just took over the Democratic Party,” he argued, “Joe Reed [of] the  Alabama Democratic Conference and Randy Kelley are well known [to be] racially incendiary in their speeches, and they now lead the Democratic Party.”

According to Griffith, the issue of political divisiveness also existed within the Alabama Republican Party.

“I think the Republican Party is full of conservative Democrats right now and I think that’s what’s going on,” he added. “I think as time goes by we will see the Republican Party smooth out this fringe down in Montgomery and become more statesman-like and more Alabama-like, and I think there are a lot of Republicans that would like to see Medicaid expanded … I think we’re in an atmosphere of fringe elements both in the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.”

Griffith also suggested that having a closed primary system in Alabama, which some Republican lawmakers have recently called for, would do nothing but deepen the political divide in the state.

“I do feel like it does take some authority away from the voter and gives it to a party, and that’s never really been healthy for America,” he said. “I think we’re forgetting over and over again that we’re Americans first, not Republicans or Democrats.”

While the former Democratic lawmaker expressed his concern over the current leadership of both parties, he did convey some optimism about the future of politics in the state.

“It’s not good for America,” he lamented, “but we’re working through it, we’re beginning to hear some reasonableness from both sides. It’s not a choir yet, but we’re beginning to see it.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee