Former Peoria City Councilman John Morris has announced he’s going to skip the exploratory committee and jump right into running for Ray LaHood’s seat in the 2008 election.
Morris has been out of politics for just over three months, having decided not to run for reelection to his at-large council seat earlier this year. “Right now, the most important thing for me is to spend more time with my family,” Morris was quoted as saying in the May 1 edition of the Journal Star. I guess he’s had enough of that.
I’m kidding, of course. But it doesn’t surprise me that Morris is trying to get back into politics. I was really surprised that he didn’t run for reelection, actually, because he seems to enjoy it so much. I mostly concur with Billy’s assessment of Morris, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s going to be a “formidable opponent” of whoever runs, but he certainly will be a contender.
Morris was a horrible councilman. I can’t imagine anyone voting for him for Congress.
Got to disagree with you there Mouse….he made some tough decision some of which went against some powerful political forces. I say anyone who’s a politician that is willing to do the right thing in face of difficult circumstances is okay.
Sounds very Michael Jordan-like: “I’m retiring to spend more time with my family”.
I talked to a freshman member of the house this year and he said “I can’t imagine doing this job if you had young children at home. You would sure miss out on a lot.”
Is Channel 47 in bad financial shape? I thought I heard that the reason Morris didn’t run again for the council was that he had some pressure from 47 not to.
He voted for the “garbage” tax didn’t he?
I think he didn’t run for re-election because his friends on the council, Mayor Ransburg, and Councilwomen Teplitz and Thetford lost and he knew he would face the same opposition and probably lose.
His stated reason for not running for re-election obviously wasn’t sincere if he said he didn’t run because he wanted to spend more time with his family, yet now he wants to go back and forth to DC every week.
And now he faces the Wunderkind.
John Morris has absolutely no chance of winning the nomination, with or without Aaron Schock in the fray. John… head home… your family misses you.