Talk about things happening quickly: Richard Morrison has sent out an email to his supporters in which he announces his intent to withdraw from the CD22 race next year. Here's the email:
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.
I am not giving up my fight. I will continue to stay active and work hard for Democrats. I ask that you do the same. Tom DeLay is bad for democracy and bad for America. If I can be so bold, I demand that each one of you will commit to work as hard for Congressman Lampson or Councilman Quan as you did for me. Democracy will suffer if you slack off even one bit.
Please do more in your community than just Democratic politics. Become active in Rotary, the local Chamber of Commerce, or your church, mosque or synagogue. Volunteer and began to carry the load in these organizations. Become indispensable to them. And when the conversations turn to politics, let them know that you are a Democrat. Demonstrate by your service that the Democratic Party cares. Through our service we can win back what we have lost and make this great county better.
Finally, I want to thank each one you who has contributed their time, talent and treasure. This campaign was a campaign of service to the people of District 22 and each of you deserve all of the credit. I would not have been the candidate I was without your support.
Fight on!
Richard Morrison
I think this is incredibly sad news, although I appreciate Richard doing this now, rather than later.
I really do think he could have won. And he's exactly the kind of person that should be serving in public office. And the more I think about it now, the more pissed at Lampson I'm getting - even though I know he has his own grudge match going on.
Kuff, could you please point us to some good commentary on Lampson while he was holding office or provide some yourself? I'm sure he's OK, but he's no Richad Morrison.
Posted by: cg on April 25, 2005 4:51 PMYou're right. Lampson is no Richard Morrison. He is an experience legislator and proven progessive.
Posted by: District22Dem on April 25, 2005 5:44 PMThe field is apparently being cleared for Lampson.
Something like 30% of his old 2nd District lies in the new 22nd, and as someone else pointed out, he can answer the carpetbagger retort with "Who was it that re-drew these lines, anyway?" And he'll probably draw more support nationally -- financial and otherwise. It's a good MSM story: 4-term Congressman gerrymandered out of his district takes on Bugman. David vs. Goliath, blahblahblah.
But Lampson lost to Ted Poe by nearly the same margin as Morrison lost to Delay last go-round, and his base has always been Beaumont (which is not in the 22nd). And he's going to have to conjure up a little junkyard dog meanness to mix it up with DeLay -- something that I haven't seen in him previously. I thought he should have fought back harder against the smears launched by the GOP in 2004. (Does this sound like some other Democratic candidates we could name?)
Lampson's a good candidate and a good man, but he better come out swinging.
Now what can we do to convince Gordon Quan to take on John Culberson?
Posted by: PDiddie on April 26, 2005 6:58 AM