Daron Morris suspended his campaign against Dan Satterberg for King County prosecuting attorney because of medical reasons.
“I regret to announce that I am suspending my campaign effective immediately due to medical reasons,” Morris said in a Facebook post Friday on his campaign site. “While I expect to make a full recovery, the present circumstances prevent me from continuing my campaign. Beyond that information, I ask for privacy for myself and my family.”
Morris is a former public defender who actively campaigned for the Nov. 6 general election against Satterberg, the current King County prosecuting attorney.
“My deepest thanks to everyone who stepped up to support this campaign, I am humbled by the passion I saw in people who were willing to sacrifice so much for reform,” Morris said. “I truly believe we had a chance to win, and I am sorry that we are not able to continue on our path. I’d particularly like to thank my campaign staff for their dedication, creativity, professionalism and solidarity.
“Though I am saddened we cannot continue our journey together, I am proud of what this campaign stood for and what it accomplished. We enhanced the public conversation about the inequities that pervade our justice system. We laid out specific policies for local reform. We heightened awareness about the central role our Prosecutor’s Office must play in effectuating change.
“I hope that the work we have done these last few months, even though left interrupted, will provide some additional voice to individuals and communities who are struggling and striving for justice and fairness. “
Morris, a graduate of the New York University School of Law, moved to Seattle in 2001 and worked in various sectors of the King County Public Defense Office, according to the Seattle Weekly. He resigned from the Department of Public Defense shortly before he announced his candidacy in May.
Satterberg issued the following response to Morris’ campaign decision:
“This (Friday) morning I received an email from my opponent explaining his decision to suspend his campaign for health reasons. I wish Mr. Morris all the best in his recovery.
“While his campaign may be suspended, his name will still appear on the ballot, and he will be in the voters’ guide arriving to voters throughout King County. The campaign has made it clear to me that this election is a rare chance to educate the public about the work of the Office of Prosecuting Attorney.
“There are only 46 days until election day, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to share the good work of this office in our approach to public safety and criminal justice system innovations. I will continue to work to retain the trust and support of the people of King County.”
In August, Morris issued a press release where he stated that a 16-year-old Kent boy should not be charged with murder in the July 22 death of Kent Police Officer Diego Moreno.
King County prosecutors filed a second-degree murder charge July 25 against Emiliano Garcia, who allegedly drove a 2003 Dodge Ram pickup pursued by a Kent Police officer who later inadvertently struck and killed Moreno at about 2 a.m. at the intersection of Kent Des Moines Road and West Meeker Street, according to court documents. Moreno, 35, of Auburn, had just deployed spike strips to stop the truck shortly before he was hit.
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