Texas Democrats divided on Morales' chances

By RICHARD HORN
Senior Staff Writer

Beth Johnson walked out of her Democratic polling place last Tuesday thrilled at the prospect of a Victor Morales victory.

"I really believe Victor could run a campaign that would drive Phil Gramm crazy," she said minutes after casting her ballot. "His energy could really catch fire in a race against a career politician like Gramm. If he only gets the chance."
Now Morales has the chance, thanks to his surprise runoff victory over veteran Dallas congressman John Bryant.

Though some local Democrats privately fear the party has shot itself in the foot by throwing a political novice into battle against Gramm, U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm is enthusiastic about Morales' chances.
He even believes the Morales candidacy, with its potential for drawing larger Hispanic turnout in November, makes Texas competitive again in the presidential race.

"I think it's great," Stenholm said. "The White House had about written Texas off. Now I think they'll take another look."

Local Republicans agree Morales, an affable high school government teacher who freely admits he doesn't have all the answers, or even many of them, will be a different kind of challenge for Gramm.

"Bryant had a liberal record to run on; Morales doesn't have any kind of record at all," said Taylor County GOP Chair Larry Gill. "You cannot challenge him on his record, so the challenge will come on the fact people are unsure of what he really stands for or intends to do."

Gill also predicted the media, which have relished the fairy tale flavor of Morales' campaign, will become more critical and less forgiving now.

"The golden chariot rides until people start taking a serious look," he said. "I don't think the media will sit back and give him essentially a free ride."

Tucker Bridwell, a Gramm friend and county finance chair for the senator, said he's not concerned Morales' lack of political experience will be an asset in this age when politicians are held in low regard.

"I just believe Phil Gramm's conservative voting record is an asset in Texas in any statewide race," Bridwell said. "We'll find out."

Bridwell also noted that Gramm has large name identification while some analysts think Morales benefited from having the same last name as Texas' attorney general.

"The Morales name is fairly well known in politics, but it's not this Morales," he said.
"I've always thought Senator Gramm would do well against either Bryant or Morales, and I still do," he added. "There's roughly seven months until the election, and we're probably going to get to know a lot more about Victor Morales than we know now."

Morales said last week he expects the media feeding frenzy over his candidacy is about to end.

"I'm new, I'm different, but you can only write so many times about the pickup truck," he said. He added that despite his fly-around tour of Texas last week in a jet loaded with state and national party leaders, he will not let his primary success change his approach.

Some Gramm supporters argued that Morales' win is a sign of the overall weakness of the Democratic Party structure in Texas. Gramm spokesman Larry Neal said, "The Democratic Party is in eclipse."
For his part, Gramm told top supporters last week he realizes Morales is, at the moment, a media phenom. But he doubted that will last.

"Our view," Neal told the Associated Press, "is that after winning the nomination against long odds he deserves a day in the sun. He's getting it now but it's a long, long way to election day."

Taylor County Democratic Chair David Dillman, a political science professor, admitted his experience made him initially skeptical about Morales' chances. But then he added his heart tells him "politics is in a pretty turbulent, uncertain period right now."

If Morales continues to run the same campaign, telling people he's listening to them, has no hidden agenda and won't take political action committee money, Dillman said, he'll be in strong position against someone like Gramm who's "spent much of his life living off the federal government."