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November 13, 2003
Democrat Morrison Hopes to Throw Wrench
into The Hammer's Re-Election Campaign
By Mike Hailey
Capitol
Inside Editor
Democrat Richard Morrison envisions a battle pitting
David against Goliath in his political debut next year. It might
seem like an appropriate analogy. But in the eyes of many Texas
Republicans, who are riding a tidal wave of record confidence, David
might have had a better chance.
Morrison hasn't chosen any ordinary opponent for his foray into Texas
campaign politics. He's running against U.S. House Majority Leader
Tom DeLay.
An attorney from Sugar Land and
a father of four, Morrison kicked off his campaign Wednesday for
the Democratic nomination in Congressional District 22, a Southeast
Texas seat that has belonged to DeLay for the past 25 years.
Morrison unveiled two sites on the World Wide Web as part of his
announcement. The first web
site introduces Morrison and his family to vote while the second
site focuses on the longtime Republican incumbent who started
out as an exterminator before fighting his way to the second slot
on the GOP power chart in the U.S. House.
The challenger acknowledges that he's taking on "the most
powerful man in Washington D.C." But he argues that DeLay has
abused the power bestowed upon him and that it's time for Republican
leader to "explain his actions" to the voters in CD 22.
"I know it’s a long shot, but I’ve never been one
to back down from a bully, particularly if I’m standing up
for my friends and know that they’ve got my back," Morrison
says.
Whether Morrison can make it close remains to be seen. But one
key Democrat - new State Party Chairman Charles Soechting
- insists that Morrison is more than token opposition. Soechting
describes Morrison as an outstanding candidate who has a powerful
presence and the ability to invigorate Democratic base supporters
while capturing the attention of potential swing votes.
DeLay's march to the top of the Republican Congressional hierarchy
began when he claimed the position of House Majority Whip after
the Republican avalanche of 1994. He had a major hand in the development
and execution of the Contract with America that GOP members passed
that year under then-Speaker Newt Gingrich. He
moved into his current role after Majority Leader when U.S. Rep.
Dick Armey of Denton retired at the end of last
year. As Majority Whip, the Republican leader whose known as "The
Hammer" essentially crafts the GOP's House agenda while controlling
the content and flow of legislation through the lower chamber of
Congress.
DeLay is a key subject in news stories on a wide range of issues
each day. He figured prominently in the Texas Legislature's decision
to redraw Congressional districts for the state's U.S. House delegation
this year, pressuring state leaders to take up the issue when they
did not have to do so then traveling to Austin to personally shepherded
it through a near-hopeless stalemate among feuding Republicans at
the statehouse.
DeLay has breezed past Democratic opposition in recent years, his
closest race coming when he won 60 percent of the general election
vote against Democrat Jo Ann Matranga in 2000.
Morrison's hope for an upset could hinge on whether candidates for
Congress run on the new map approved under DeLay's guidance or the
current map that he and other Republicans say unfairly shortchanges
the GOP. DeLay ended up giving away one-fourth of the voters in
his home base of Fort Bend County along with two-thirds of the voters
he represents in Brazoria County in exchange for more voters in
Harris and Galveston counties.
While the odds are long on paper, Democrats are hoping that DeLay
and other Republicans will pay for what the minority party decried
repeatedly as a "power grab" in the push for midstream
redistricting. The new plan has not yet gained preclearance from
the U.S. Justice Department - and Democrats predict it will be thrown
out by a federal court that plans to hear legal challenges in Austin
in December.
www.RichardMorrisonforDistrict22.com
www.TakingOnTomDeLay.com
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