Posted on 08/08/2006 11:57:22 AM PDT by SolidSupplySide
WASHINGTON — Dogged by scandal, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay intends to withdraw as a candidate for Congress, a Republican strategist said today, a step that would allow the party to field a write-in candidate in hopes of holding his seat.
The development came one day after Texas Republicans lost a court battle in their bid to name a replacement candidate for DeLay on the November ballot.
The strategist described DeLay's intentions on condition of anonymity, saying the former majority leader intended to make his own announcement.
DeLay resigned his Houston-area seat in June and said he was switching his legal residence to Virginia. He had already won a primary in Texas, and Republican officials there moved to name a replacement candidate.
Democrats went to court to block the switch, and prevailed.
The maneuvering underscored the intensity of the battle between the two national parties as they vie for control of Congress in the midterm elections.
DeLay had held the House seat for more than two decades, but yielded his power — first surrendering his post as majority leader, then resigning his seat — at the urging of party leaders who said he risked defeat this fall and that his presence on the ballot could hamper other incumbents.
He is awaiting trial in Texas state court on money laundering charges alleging that illegal corporate cash helped pay for legislative campaigns in 2002. DeLay also had close ties to Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist at the center of a congressional corruption investigation.
DeLay has not been charged in that investigation, although two former aides who later developed ties to Abramoff have entered into plea bargains.
Former Rep. Nick Lampson is the Democratic candidate in the race, and had amassed more than $2 million in his campaign treasury as of June 30 in preparation for a race against DeLay.
Texas Republicans on Monday abandoned their court fight to replace DeLay on the November ballot, conceding defeat after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ruled against them.
"I think all our legal avenues are exhausted in terms of affecting the ruling prior to the election," said Jim Bopp Jr., the attorney who argued the Republican Party's case to allow party officials to substitute another candidate for DeLay.
In a statement late Monday, Bopp warned Democrats, "Be careful what you ask for."
The lawyer said Democrats "insisted he run for Congress, now it's up to voters to decide if Democrats are going to be happy" on Election Day.
Democrats were undaunted by the prospect of facing DeLay in November and claimed victory.
"Given the choice between facing the voters and facing the courts, DeLay chose the courts and lost handily," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
DeLay's foolish actions have likely cost the Republicans this seat. The GOP should be grateful for what he did for them over the last 12 years, but furious at his selfishness in running in the primary in the first place.
I might have known that had you been in DeLay's shoes, you'd have tucked tail and run the minute you were indicted on a bogus charge.
Well, that's up to the voters of Texas-22.
I can tell you what's going to happen, though. That goofball Stockman is going to jump back into the race, along with two or three others. They'll all have their devotees, and split the vote four or five ways. Not a single one will have the decency to step back in favor of the number 2 vote getter in the primary.
Say hello to Congressman Lampson and the loss of a seat for the GOP.
In friggin' Texas, for gawd's sake!!
Can you explain why DeLay decided to run in the primary, but then, to use your words, "tuck tail and run" the minute he won?
I would never have run if I had no intention of staying in the race. This is a cowardly act on DeLay's part and, if Lampson wins, will be what he is remembered for.
I would never have run if I had no intention of staying in the race. This is a cowardly act on DeLay's part and, if Lampson wins, will be what he is remembered for.
DeLay certainly doesn't have the stomach for another campaign, that's for sure. He's moving on with his life, and he's not really all that concerned about what happens back in Sugarland, it would appear.
Won't work - the RATs would then sue to say he was not eligible because of his legal residency... he did legally change it to Virginia...
One set of his grandparents, don't know which side did settle in Stafford and Lampson claims to have spent time on the farm... If'n you believe him. But you are correct in that he was born in Beaumont and has live in Beaumont all his life and been in some type gov't job for most of it.
Yep...
I think its another mistake, and hopefully the last one...
If he fights to get his name "off" the ballot, even after all of this, and then promote a write in candidate push...
November will be a disjointed "primary" like battle where the Republican base in CD22 will not have a clear choice to keep the district, and Lampson will win in a convincing landslide...
I did my best to keep it from coming to this, but the leadership from the state party on down has screwed the pooch on this one, they know it, but will never admit or try to fix the problem...They'll try to make some of the right noises, but this thing was over a long time ago...And all this is only prolonging the agony...The democrats are just having kittens over all of this residual benefit from 5-6 years of work on Tom DeLay...
If y'all think this stops in Texas...standby...
I'm hoping we can just salvage '08...
What did you do? I did my best, too. I voted for Campbell in the primary.
but the leadership from the state party on down has screwed the pooch on this one, they know it, but will never admit or try to fix the problem
I agree. I'd like an admission that they screwed up. It sounds like you would, too. Why can't they admit it now that it is so obvious?
DeLay decision to run in the primary was based on overwhelming support from his constituents and people in the party that saw Earle's sleazy and bogus indictment for what it was.
Once all appeals to have his trial date moved up before the election failed, the democrat & MSM smear machine went into high gear. All national news media, including daily newspapers and news stations throughout the country piled on and didn't miss a day, treating DeLay's indictment as a guilty verdict.
Tom DeLay never backed down from a fight in his life and it makes me sick for people like you attack him. It's hard enough as it is to find republicans with a spine. DeLay has proved repeatedly that he's not afraid to challenge democrats and he's been a huge factor in the GOP holding onto the majority, which is why the left has marked him for destruction.
When DeLay saw that his candidacy was only going to hurt the party he loved and that the media was going to continue attacking him with a vengence, he resigned. I might add that because of the relentless attacks from the left, many in his own party started abandoning him and complaining that his candidacy was hurting the GOP. It was bad enough that his enemies lies controlled the national debate about his candidacy, but when fellow republicans started turning their backs on him, he knew what he had to do.
So the next time you try playing the role of political armchair quarterback, you might want to know all about what's happened in the game.
hmmmmm...
If your best was to vote for Campbell in the primary, then I guess there is not much more to say...
But thats ok, you voted, and that is what everyone should do...
What did I do after the primary???
- actively participated with my fellow Precinct Chairs in the development of a questionaire for the prospective candidates who were stepping in to be the nominee on the ballot to replace Tom Delay on the ballot in November...
- I attended and participated with my fellow Precinct Chairs and the general public in Candidate forums in a few of the counties effected to get to know these folks real well...
- I ran for one of four "elector" positions in my counties congressional district to be seated in the District Executive Committee to finally select the replacement candidate on the ballot in November...
- On the side, I run the polls in my precinct as Election Judge, I block walk for candidates in and around our area, I have been a delegate to Precinct, Senatorial, State Conventions since 1990...I could go on and on, but that would difuse the message...
"Why can't they admit it now that it is so obvious?"
- "They", meaning our party leadership, did their best to cajole most of us, and admonish dissenters who only wanted to give ALL the prospective candidates a fair shake at being the nominee to be on the ballot in November...
Their personal preference was obvious, and oblivious to look at the other prospects qualifications, voting records, regardless of that information...They wanted their "guy", and no one was going to get in their way to make it a fair horse race...That put a few people (Precinct Chairs) off...
But, we all know now what the results of all these efforts were...
Zero, zip, nada...
Now we go into November with absolutely nothing to show for it...
But Lampson will either win, or lose by very little...
I just hope good intentions don't make it any worse than it already is...
I infer that you were either admonished as a dissenter or kept your mouth shut because you feared admonishment. For being an individual thinker, I truly praise you. It doesn't seem like there's very many like you.
What happened when the evidence against DeLay started coming out last November? Was there any discussion at all among the precinct chairs that maybe DeLay shouldn't run?
This is really turning into a nightmare scenario for us. And it sucks because if he would turn, with his back against the wall, and say you leave me no choice but to fight... it could have turned out really well for us. But if he just backs down... I don't think we have a hope in hell of winning on a write-in basis.
When we were told that this process was ours to run, we trusted our leadership to allow us to do so, and we would have welcomed their input at anytime as we proceeded to work the issue...
We were not allowed to do so, and the assumptions by the establishment and their minions really divided what was already a very small group of people to begin with after the primary...
We gave it a shot, and got shot down (hard)...And now that they had "their" people in place to make the decision in that committee, two of the counties were told to back off right when we could have finished getting the "electors" chosen, and thus be ready to convene after the legal BS was adjudicated...
All for not...
And after our group made a reasonable, principled attempt to give the constituents a fair shake in this process, that was not what the "politics as usual" pundits wanted...And they pulled every thing they could to get their way in this deal...
We of course did our best to not blame anyone at all, how dared we to question their authority, power and agenda.../sarcasm
We didn't even really diverge far (if anything) from what they wanted to happen as a result of us following the law...
Some people wanted to do this to make a name for themselves, and some thought that was inappropriate at this level in the process...
But nothing can be changed now...And it looks like things are happening to solidify a democrat victory...And the democrats aren't having to do very much except stand there and wait for 7pm on election day...
Earlier this year, I resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives and became a resident of the State of Virginia to establish my new business, and where I now legally reside, pay taxes and vote.
This decision was and is irrevocable, which I made clear from Day One.
My action was taken in accordance with Texas law, federal precedent and common sense. I felt it was my duty to allow Texas Republicans to choose a new candidate for the Fall Election Ballot.
In November, voters in the 22nd District of Texas deserve a choice between candidates who actually live in the District, between a Republican and Democrat, and between those two people whose names should appear on the ballot.
Unfortunately, the Federal courts have slammed the door shut on a fair ballot choice between two 22nd District residents representing our two major parties.
The court ruling allows a Democrat – who just moved into this community – to have his name appear on the ballot, but denies the Republican Party the opportunity to place a District Republican resident on that same ballot.
Voters should be concerned. While judges are denying Texas voters a fair choice this Fall, the courts allowed the Democrat Party in New Jersey to withdraw Robert Torricelli and substitute Frank Lautenberg in a similar case just weeks before the 2002 U.S. Senate election.
As a Virginia resident, I will take the actions necessary to remove my name from the Texas ballot. To do anything else would be hypocrisy.
I strongly encourage the Republican Party to take any and all actions necessary to give Texas voters an up-or-down choice this Fall between two major party candidates.
Finally, I am honored by the faith and trust you have placed in me as we have all worked to protect the things that make the 22nd District special.
I appreciate your friendship, prayers and strong support over the years.
Sincerely,
Tom DeLay
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