Richard Morrison Dropping Out of TX-22 Race

[Dave Sund]

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It is with great sadness that I must withdraw my name from the race for District 22.

As you all know I devoted 2 years of my life to win and placed my law practice on hold. With the prospects of having to spend another 2 years winning a primary and then challenging DeLay, my family's financial situation is not the rosiest. My wife is expecting our 5th child in August and I feel that I must devote my time to getting my financial house in order. I think the biggest issue this county faces is our national debt and for me and mine to be facing debt that could quickly become unmanageable is irresponsible and unwise.

My mother and children's grandmother has also been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. She has vowed to me that she will fight it every step of the way and I have committed to help her with that fight. I ask for your prayers for her and my father.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/25/155629/162

[ClassWarrior]

1. Shame. He's a good man.

Richard Morrison, I salute you.

NGU. :patriot:

[ChickMagic]

2. Oh man. I am so sorry to hear that.

I met him at the Dem convention in Houston.

[Zen Democrat]

3. This follows the meeting between Morrison and Lampson last week.

Former Congressman Lampson (victim of Tom DeLay's gerrymandering) and Morrison met last week to discuss the race against Tom DeLay in 2006. It was billed as a unity meeting to decide how best to defeat Tom DeLay. At the close of the meeting, both men said publicly that they had pledged to not criticize the other in a primary election.

Could be the Lampson had more money available for the challenge and Morrison saw the handwriting on the wall.

The CURRENT DeLay district (since 2004) includes the northern parts of Galveston County as well as Clear Lake, League City and parts of Pasadena which were all in Lampson's district before DeLay redrew the lines. Lampson has a great reputation in the area and has the experience to beat DeLay (if DeLay lasts that long -- and I hope he does.

I don't see Gordon Quan moving into the district. He's be a longshot, while Lampson would be a formidable opponent for DeLay.

[Dave Sund]

5. I'm taking him at his word

I think he realized just how much it would cost to run against Lampson, and that, along with his mother's illness, made the decision a lot easier. Last week he was asking if he had the netroots support, so I think that this is something he's been thinking about for a while.

[ltfranklin]

10. Even if he doesn't last that long...

DeLay is not a Senator, he's a representative. If he leaves office before the end of his term, the Governor does not appoint a successor. A special election has to be called. So, if DeLay leaves office earlier, that just means there'll be an election all that much sooner.

[ChicanoPwr]

28. It is the worse move

Big deal is Lampson was a former congressman. One, he was already losing votes for the redistrict. And two, I live in Clear Lake before the redistricting, he most was seen at over in his largest area, Beaumont. What makes this a bad move, you have to include people from Ft Bend County which knows nothing about Lampson. Morrison at least got his name out there and was a Dean Dozen. As for the money issue, he ran on a shoestring budget and that did not stop him, hell he didn't get the DNC support and he got the support from Democracy for America and look at what it got him - a near victory. I don't care what the hell they want to call this meeting, it is nothing more but handing DeLay another fucking victory. I hope we can convict him.

[madfloridian]

32. It also followed a Morrison/DCCC meeting in DC.

Which means something or other.

[NoPasaran]

4. Damn. We owe him a lot

Richard Morrison took on DeLay when everybody said he didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell. For 2006, DeLay actually looks beatable. Sad that Morrison won't be the guy who finally takes Bug Boy down.

[Zen Democrat]

7. Whoever beats the Rat Man -- It will be sweet.

I can see the divine justice in it whether it would be Morrison or Lampson.

[Renew Deal]

6. Too bad

Are we down to 1 candiate? Who is it?

[NoPasaran]

9. Possibly two candidates

Nick Lampson, former Congressman (defeated last year) whose old district used to include a lot of TX-22 and Gordon Quan, a Houston City Councilman.

It's an amazing turn events and a real tribute to what Morrison accomplished last year that in a district where DeLay faced NO serious opposition for years Democrats are now lining up to take him on.

[CitySky]

17. Lampson is a good candidate for the 22nd.

IMO Gordon Quan should run in District 7 instead - as re-drawn by DeLay, District 7 includes some Democratic parts of central Houston and a bunch of mostly R suburbs and rural areas out to the west. Quan lives in District 7, as do I. Maybe Dems consider the 7th "unwinnable" because of those 'burbs, but if we can show how much DeLay has been jerking the strings of Texas "puppets" like District 7's John Culberson for years, maybe we can at least shame those R's into staying home on election day. We should aim to take down more than one of these corporate shills in 2006.

Nick Lampson is a good candidate for District 22 for the reasons cited earlier in this thread. He was a well-respected Congressman until DeLay carved up the district like a Thanksgiving turkey. Poetic justice indeed, should Lampson take that seat!

I campaigned heartily for Morrison throughout last fall, stood in the rain on election day with a sign, and am ever grateful for what he did. It sounds like his family needs to take precedence right now. His children are still quite small, and one more on the way, wow! Prayers for his mom...

[Lexingtonian]

27. look at it another way

I'm not quite sure of the status of the lawsuit, but it's possible that the courts overturn the re-redistricting DeLay got through.

Getting Lampson to run against him is quite a bit of incentive to get DeLay to acquiesce to the overturn, isn't it? And despite all efforts, the district as it is now is not one for a serious Democrat- it's 55 to 60 percent Republican, so it tolerates a Blue Dog at best, and the Sugarland CEO crowd is nasty enough to keep on generating ugly problems.

The game is not really about electing a Democrat. It's about finishing off DeLay as a force. Which is important because the House Republicans seem to be aging out and running low on the kind of talent (whatever you and I may think of it) that really makes them a force. Pelosi is really out to hamstring and bleed the opposition of money, unity, dogmatism enforcement- and the House GOP has no adequate replacement for the guy. In a sense it's a targetted assassination, but that's how the game plays- nothing in the rulebook stopped the GOP from bumping off Tom Foley or Tom Daschle, either. When you're through with your constituents, you're through. We're also getting Lott and Frist out of office, if you haven't noticed, and Rickie Insanetorum has a Democratic target painted on his front and his back. Obsolete is obsolete.

[madfloridian]

8. Christine Cegelis in Illinois, who got 44% of the vote last year...

is hearing she may not get Democratic support either. I am so sad about Richard, and I blame the DCCC for picking our candidates. We sent Richard money last week.

I am really getting irritated.

Next...Chuck Pennacchio will be announcing he has some reason to drop out.

I guess the DSCC will do the same there.

:shrug:

[NoPasaran]

11. Don't blame the DCCC

Morrison doesn't.

[Dave Sund]

12. Yeah

This is just a reminder of how difficult it is to run for Congress. Even with our support, he just wouldn't have had the time or money to do it again.

[madfloridian]

13. Then who do we blame for Cegelis?

I think Richard is being very nice about it. Trust me the DCCC approved candidate won't have to struggle for money.

[NoPasaran]

14. I'm not talking about Illinois

Do you not think it's remotely possible that Richard Morrison could actually be telling the truth, that he really does need to get his own personal financial house in order, that he does need to be there while his mother fights her cancer. Not everything that happens is because of the evil machinations of the DCCC/DSCC/DLC League of Evil, you know.

[Dave Sund]

15. Not to mention

Nick Lampson got screwed by DeLay in the last election, too, so he deserves our support just as much as Morrison did for actually standing up to DeLay.

[madfloridian]

18. I will back off the issue.

We were all eager for him. It is TX business. It wasn't last year, but now it is TX business.

Sorry I have offended.

[madfloridian]

16. Yes, you are right.

I seem to irritate you very much. I am sorry. We have had it happen in our area in a quiet way, with sitting senators making sure progressive candidates don't qualify.

I am sorry I irritated you. I did not mean to do so. I am proud of TX Democrats.

[NoPasaran]

20. Thank you

No hard feelings.
:hi:

[madfloridian]

21. I did not have any hard feelings to begin with.

I am one of the most moderate here, and I do reserve the right to question the decisions by the DCCC,DSCC, or any group. I have seen it happen here.

I was just being passionate. Actually it is cheaper for us this way. I won't feel the need to donate to candidates like that anymore, because I see it won't make a difference.

That is where the harm lies. I am sorry I seem to upset you so often.

[madfloridian]

19. NoParasan, I did not say he was not telling the truth.

Please don't do this. You know I am mostly moderate in my views, and I try to be fair. I will not bug you. Sorry.

[kevsand]

22. What's going on with Cegelis?

Is Rahm pushing someone else?

[madfloridian]

24. Here is a blog post about Cegelis.

It appears the party will not support her in the event of a special election. They want a candidate to pay for it. This is a great write-up. I am very sad about Richard's mother, but there is more to the story. If the people in various states, like TX, want others to butt out on donations, etc.....there will be no sucess for the grassroots.
http://www.democracyforillinois.org/node/view/1179

[kevsand]

25. Thanks for the link.

It would be a shame if the party recruited someone else after Christine has worked so hard on this. The lack of specifics in the article is also frustrating, but to be expected at this point. (It's so frustrating to catch little whiffs and hints without being there on the ground to run down the leads!)

I think I'll put something up in the Illinois forum to see if anyone there has heard more details. Thanks again!

[madfloridian]

26. They can not come right out and say specifics.

Note Richard's Kos posts. It is impossible to be specific.

[sonias]

23. Heartbreaking

Now that DeLay is really vulnerable, it should have been Morrison that won his seat. I do however understand him putting his family first. He's not rich, so he's got to support his family, and he can't afford a contested primary.

Hats off to this very classy Democrat who is doing the right thing for himself, his family and his party. Wish him and his family the best of luck and good health.

Thank you Richard for taking on DeLay in 04. You gave him his first cuts for us.

Sonia

[mandyky]

29. Oh crap!

I was looking forward to that race!

[madfloridian]

30. Four former Dean Dozen candidates were running again.

Now there are only three. Christine Cegelis posted on Richard's Kos post. She has announced and is trying for support. Hyde is retiring.

Jeff Seemann is running again in Ohio.

Ken Campbell, the fireball from South Carolina is running again.

The party has already picked candidates in PA and RI (that did not work so well). There are two other states that I have heard rumors about....but no proof.

In Florida one of our senators tried to get the party to make sure a candidate did not qualify to run. Dirty dealings.

Will the party continue to pick candidates in these primaries? Will donating and promising support be useless?

[Freddie Stubbs]

33. Which Senator in Florida tried to make sure that a candidate did not

qualify to run? :shrug:

[madfloridian]

35. Check your inbox.

.

[madfloridian]

31. Kos just posted....DeLay opponent is already chosen.

All done. No problems at all. His name is Lampson. Website up already. This is will be cheaper for us, as we were going to donate considerably more to Richard....Lampson has his own funding I am sure. So now we let TX take care of its own.

[Dave Sund]

34. Yup, Lampson

was one of those guys who got screwed by DeLay's redistricting last year. It'd be satisfying if he beat DeLay.

[madfloridian]

36. The DCCC should not be choosing this early.

I was going to back off on this, but I won't. I feel too strongly about it.

We donated to Richard Morrison as a Dean Dozen. He inspired us.

We know that the party's choice will have enough money, so we won't be donating.

I also blame DFA for not backing him. They say they are waiting until 2006 to do that nationally. I see am not the only one either. I see other posts at the blog that indicate disagreement.