Morales said during an interview with Texas Monthly in 1996, that while toiling as a Bexar County prosecutor, "the exposure to the system and seeing victims get the shaft impressed upon me that changes needed to be made." Those changes, Morales came to learn, were best addressed at the legislative level, so he felt compelled to run in 1984 against the incumbent legislator and defense attorney Joe Hernandez.
Morales expressed his sentiments during an interview with Texas Monthly in 1996, noting that his time as a Bexar County prosecutor had left him disillusioned with the system, particularly when he saw victims being unfairly treated. This experience motivated Morales to seek change through the legislative process, leading him to challenge incumbent legislator and defense attorney Joe Hernandez in 1984.