Democrats try to solidify challenge against DeLay

[Freddie Stubbs]

By KRISTEN MACK
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Three potential Democratic challengers to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay will meet in Clear Lake today to develop a unified strategy and decide which of them has the best chance to defeat the Sugar Land Republican.

Former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan and lawyer Richard Morrison, who won 41 percent of the vote against DeLay in last November's election, are gathering at Morrison's behest.

Morrison said he hopes to come out of the meeting with consensus on who the 2006 Democratic candidate should be.

He said the three men agree that the Democrats should avoid a divisive, contested primary to select the nominee. "I'm going to advocate for my position, but both of those gentleman have a claim as well," Morrison said.

more: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3147444

[Larkspur]

1. Are Morrison's Dem competitors DLC clowns?

If they are, screw them!

[acmejack]

2. I supported Morrison last time

He is a good candidate & I gave to him simply because he was running against Delay, even though it is not in my district.

[NoPasaran]

4. I wouldn't call them that

From what I hear, Quon would actually be to the left of Morrison (which might make him less electible in 22). But of the three Morrison is the only one who currently lives in the district. And he did the heavy lifting, running against DeLay in 2004 when no one gave him a snowball's chance in Hell.

[crispini]

6. Morrison's the only one who lives in the district currently?

Wow, I didn't realize that. He really should be the one to run, then. Either of the others will get called a carpetbagger during the campaign. And he did a good job on the campaign.

[merci_me]

12. A good portion of the 22nd

was Nick Lampson's congressional district for 4 terms. Delay & Co redistricted giving himself part of the district Lampson was in DC representing.

Of course, Lampson lost, trying to keep a Democratic seat in the new district Delay drew, but the largest vote against Delay were the people who lived in that portion of the 22nd who were represented by Lampson. In fact, when they voted for Morrison, there were being represented in congress at that time and through the end of the year by Nick Lampson.

If Lampson moved, he'd merely be moving his household into is own old district.

As someone said elsewhere in this thread, Quan is very much the most liberal of the three. I'd say Morrison would be the most conservative of the three. I'd have to look at Lampson's congressional record, but he's pretty liberal too, though not as much as Quan, who I would absolutely LOVE to have as my own congressman and he actually lives in my district.

Mary

[CitySky]

15. thanks for the reminder

There is stunningly little overlap between Lampson's "old" and "new" districts. Lampson and Bell were the intended victims of DeLay's redisticting knife in Houston, and with a long-serving rep like Lampson that took some real work. So a Lampson win in 22 would have some poetic justice to it, granted.

I still think Richard should run. I would support him in the primary. (Time & $, no vote since I'm in the 7th.) We'd be looking at a Dem primary with two excellent candidates, and as someone on 'kos pointed out, it would be a great chance to "hammer" on the embarrassment that DeLay is. My only concern about the primary is not that these two will smear each other but that the eventual candidate will squander precious $$$. Can they agree to a spending cap or something? That would be hard to enforce, I know. But they're gentlemen! Unlike our opponent out there...

[Sandstorm]

5. Who cares?

I would hope you'd support anyone who runs against DeLay.

[Larkspur]

13. So you are saying that the DLC doesn't have enough clout to oust

DeLay on their own? That they don't have enought members to donate to a DeLay opponent, that have to whip anti-DLC donors to do it?

I would refuse to donate to a DLC clown, no matter who he's running against.

[muse]

8. Lampson is a four term congressman

who was defeated in 2004 because his district was redrawn due to DeLay's success in redistricting. He is well known in Houston. He has tons of name recognition and has proven ability to raise lots of money. His district is east of Houston. District 22 wraps around Houston to the soutwest, south and southeast.

[crispini]

3. Oh, boy.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for Morrison. I'm a big fan.

[CitySky]

7. Quan should run in District 7

Where he lives... it also happens to be where I live, and WestHoustonDem, and lots of other good people who will work hard for him. He's a good, well-respected, local leader.

[muse]

9. Does anyone know what happened

at this meeting? According to the article, it happened yesterday.

Morrison posted a diary on dailykos today that got a bunch of comments:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/21/213123/185#292

[WestHoustonDem]

10. I'm waiting for a call. So far no news..... n/t

[WestHoustonDem]

11. In other words, nothing was decided

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3249381
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1416011

HOUSTON Democrats who want to seek the nomination against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay agreed today to a gentlemanly contest.
Two of the candidates _ Richard Morrison and former U-S Representative Nick Lampson _ said they could eventually bow out when a front-runner emerges.

Morrison captured 41 percent of the vote against DeLay in 2004.

Lampson represented about a third of what is now DeLay's 22nd Congressional District and confirmed he will seek the Democratic nomination.

Morrison and Lampson say Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan told them he was putting together an exploratory committee.

Morrison and Lampson said the men met for more than an hour and agreed not to have a primary slugfest.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[PDittie]

14. Those of you in the district

should soon be fielding phone calls from polling services.