U.S. Representative Parker Griffith switched parties on Tuesday and became a Republican, a move that underscored challenges his former Democratic colleagues face in next year’s election.

“I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country,” Griffith said in announcing his defection in his Alabama district.

The first-term lawmaker had a conservative voting record, bucking Democrats on a number of measures, including ones to revamp the U.S. healthcare system and stem global warming.

With Griffith’s defection, Democrats now hold the House of Representatives, 257-178, and are expected to lose more seats in next year’s election.

The party in power traditionally loses seats in the first election after a new president takes office.

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