| Lampson should run vs. DeLay, Dems say |
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Former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson is considering running against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in the Republican kingpin's suburban Houston congressional district, the Beaumont Democrat said Thursday.
It is solidly Republican territory, but Democrats sense DeLay's recent ethics troubles could make him vulnerable in 2006.
Lampson said national Democratic Party activists are urging him to enter the race and he expects to make a decision within a couple of weeks.
"I still don't know if that's something I want to do, but I'm not taking anything off the table," Lampson said.
Lampson's eight-year tenure in Congress ended last year when he was defeated by Ted Poe in a newly drawn district designed to elect a Republican.
His moderate record could help him in a Republican-leaning district like DeLay's, Lampson said.
The Sugar Land Republican usually has been re-elected in landslides, but he mustered only 55 percent in 2004 against an underfunded Democratic opponent, even as President George Bush carried the district with 64 percent.
Lampson said he would weigh the impact of a race on his family before making a decision.
DeLay was admonished last year by the House ethics committee, and recent reports have raised questions about special interest funding of his overseas trips.
"(DeLay) has played it too close to the edge for too long," Lampson.
DeLay's role in the congressional intervention in the Terri Schiavo case also has drawn criticism.
But DeLay's conservative principles resonate with his constituents, a spokeswoman said.
"(DeLay) never takes an election for granted, but he consistently outperforms his opponents because voters know when it comes to issues they care about, Tom DeLay delivers for the people of the 22nd District," said Shannon Flaherty.
In a Houston Chronicle poll of the district's voters published this week, 38 percent said they would vote for DeLay, while 45 percent said they would vote for somebody else.
Other potential Democratic challengers include former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, D-Houston; Richard Morrison, who was DeLay's 2004 opponent; and Houston city councilman Gordon Quan.
However, Bell has indicated he is more interested in the gubernatorial race, said Harvey Kronberg, editor of the Quorum Report, a Texas political newsletter.
Lampson said he represented about 30 percent of DeLay's district before the lines were redrawn, including Galveston County and the Johnson Space Center.
Any Democrat who challenges DeLay will have an uphill battle, Kronberg said, and DeLay could face a more serious threat in the Republican primary if more damaging revelations come to light.
The brewing scandal "is at the nose-wrinkling stage, not the throw-the-guy-overboard stage," Kronberg said.
Lampson is keeping other political options open, including a rematch with Poe next year.
Since he left Congress, he has been doing some consulting work and a little relaxing, Lampson said.
Lampson served as Jefferson County tax-assessor collector for almost two decades before entering Congress.
"I've always enjoyed public service," Lampson said. "I think I was able to accomplish some pretty good things."
Reach this reporter at:
(409) 833-3311 ext. 414
rgarcia@beaumontenterprise.com
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