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.
I understand that you had to move forward as if the precinct chairs could select a replacement. You had to. Even if you thought the Dems had a good legal argument, you had to prepare for the best. I'm sure that the poor legal advice you were given was annoying.
What I would like to know, and what might make a great book, was the party mechanics before primary day. Were there concerns when all the DeLay-Abramoff material came out in Nov. 2005? During the primary, how widely known was it that DeLay did not intend to run in the general? What was the source for the intense dislike of Campbell in the party organization and did the party know that the primary voters would support him to the degree they did?
I know what happened. I live here. Whatever else you think, DeLay had no business running in the primary if he was not going to stick it out in the general.
His candidacy was hurting the party BEFORE the primary.
Now, he has a chance to run and stick it to Lampson, and he turns tail and hides behind his move to Virginia.
He has damaged the party, and will likely put a Democrat in his old seat.
A sorry legacy, that.
There you go again, arm chair quarterbacking. You just can't help it can you? I suppose you think.... no, you know, that DeLay had a crystal ball and could predict that he'd lose all of his appeals to have his trial moved up. And I'm sure you ignored the fact that DeLay was buried by the press with relentless negative daily assaults on his character, to the point that many in his own party suggested that he withdraw his candidacy.
Now, you want a man who values his word and promise to go back on it to become the democRAT whipping boy yet again. It's obvious that you don't have the foresight to realize the hoopla the press would make of DeLay letting his name stay on the ballot after he moved his residency to Virginia.
The press would immediately slant drill DeLay again and harp, "Obviously DeLay tried to trick the voters in his district. Even the conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, saw his move to Virginia as insincere and turned him down, blah, blah, blah."
The man can't win, no matter what he choses to do, especially with nimrods like you who think you know better.
If DeLay could not run after the primary because of adverse press and other distractions, he had no business running in the primary.
You and I disagree on this. Let's hope his foolish behavior here doesn't cost the GOP a seat.
No doubt DeLay thought, as most everyone did, that the attacks on his candidacy would eventually die down. NO ONE COULD PREDICT THE RELENTLESS ASSAULT THAT NEVER LET UP. DO YOU REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT?
You and I disagree on this. Let's hope his foolish behavior here doesn't cost the GOP a seat.
You are correct in that I vehemently disagree with you on this. Tom DeLay has always been known as one of the savviest politicians in Washington and that's why he was targeted. Sure enough, the left sucked in people like you to attack him and you don't even see it. Wake up!
LOL!! The assault on DeLay has been never-ending, since his indictment. Surely you're not saying that it got worse after he won his primary, are you?
I was not "sucked in" by anybody, bub. You don't have to go overboard trying to explain away what is, essentially, a mistake by DeLay.
I'm saying the attacks escalated once the dems wounded, but didn't destroy him. They saw his popularity plummet after their relentless assault and smelled blood in the water. Once he won the primary (with all time low numbers), you bet the attacks escalated. And the very fact that you don't know that to be true proves that you haven't followed DeLay's press coverage well, or don't know shiite.
Let's just call this off before you fly out of control and get booted.
I only insult those who deserve it, and don't worry about me getting booted. It won't happen because I speak the truth. ;-) Goodnight...
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