Gordon Quan, a popular Houston City Councilman, has bowed out of the 2006 race for the Democrat nomination for Congress so as not to jeopardize the chances of former Congressman Nick Lampson in next year's election for the 22nd Congreesional District seat held by Tom DeLay.

But as I read the article, I become more and more shocked about the nature of the Democrat Party, and the clear racial bias that exists there.

Quan, who had formed an exploratory committee for the 22nd Congressional District in April, said he wanted to avoid a "costly, divisive and lengthy" Democratic primary.

He said he conducted polling that showed DeLay has lost support among constituents and that he and Lampson had nearly equal support.

The district, which includes parts of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties, is solidly Republican and has elected DeLay 11 times.

Quan must leave the council in six months because of city term limits.

Quan, who is of Chinese ancestry, made the announcement at Kim Son restaurant in Stafford, and said he plans to help bring out the Asian vote for Lampson. Asians make up about 10 percent of the district.

Now let me get this straight. Nick Lampson doesn't live in the 22nd District -- but his grandparents did. He does not own a home there -- his residence is in the Beaumont area, at least 90 miles from the Fort Bend County communities that make up the heart of the 22nd District. He used to represent a few Harris County precincts that are now in the 22nd District, but they were never a strong part of his base of support -- but his grandparents used to live in Stafford. The powers that be in the Texas Democrat Party have recruited him and anointed him as the candidate -- and did we mention he used to visit his grandparents in Fort Bend County when he was a kid?

Quan, on the other hand, is a well-known and popular Democrat who has shown the ability to win elections in the area. A Chinese-American, he is part of a community that makes up 10% of the district. He does not need to establish residency to run in the 22nd District -- he lives there. And he is running even with Lampson in everything but fundraising -- because the Democrat power elite put the word out that Lampson is the candidate they want.

So why dump the popular Asian-American local officeholder in favor of a former congressman who does not even live in the district?

And what would be said if this were the GOP dumping a minority candidate in favor of a white carpetbagger candidate selected by the powers that be?

Posted by: Greg at 01:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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