Posted on 08/20/2006 9:30:47 AM PDT by bgsugar
Texas Republican Party leaders on Thursday announced they will be supporting Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs in the race for Congressional District 22.
Sekula-Gibbs, who announced her wishes to run for District 22 in April, will now be mounting a write-in campaign and could see financial and organizational support from the local, state and national Republican Party. . . . . .
"Tonight we start the grassroots Republican campaign that this district is well known for," she said. "It is a district that has over 60 percent Republicans and we will turn them out."
She was chosen Thursday night at a closed-door meeting in Pearland involving Republican precinct chairs from the district's four counties. . . . . .
A write-in candidacy remains the last chance for a Republican to win the seat in November, and Thursday's meeting was organized for party leaders to decide whom they would support.
The Republican Party cannot prevent numerous individuals from filing as write-in candidates, but party leaders have said they will only support one candidate.
In addition to Sekula-Gibbs, Sugar Land's Republican Mayor David Wallace has announced a write-in candidacy. This move angered many Republican leaders, who worry the conservative vote, as well as campaign resources, will be divided between the two candidates. . . . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at herald-coaster.com ...
Now we'll see if it's possible for the factions in the district to put ego's asid and get behind a single candidate. Mayor Wallace of Sugar Land appears to be the only holdout right now . . .
She's pretty and obviously smart.
Fort Bend County Chairman Gillen was endorsed by Wallace in this year's primary after Wallace promised other candidates he would not endorse, so obviously, the IOU's have been called in on Gillen regardless of the impact on the party.
see this site http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/996/wallace-thode-endorsements-fuel-fire-from-howell
. . . . Wallace acknowledged to Howell that he had endorsed Gillen in the primary, but wasn’t going to take sides in the runoff. “I have been friends with you and I have been friends with Gary,” she said the mayor told her. “And I want to remain neutral in this. I am going to be sending Gary an email asking him not to use my name anymore.”
Instead, he sent out the above letter a few days later, Howell said, along with a similar email that went out to Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce members.
“And then he sent the email twice,” she said, “and it had a link to Gary’s web site.”
It would be fair to say Howell is not pleased.
“That was the biggest bunch of crock I have ever heard of in my whole life,” she said of Wallace. “How in the world can we have someone we can trust in Congress if we can’t trust them locally?” . . . . .
Wallace spoke yesterday, saying he's not happy at what took place in Pearland with such a small number of republicans making this decision...but it's taken place which changes everything for him. After more consultations over the weekend...he'll announce his decision tomorrow.
Forgive me for being callous, but how are the legions of people supposed to remember Sikula-Gibbs? Does not exactly roll off the toungue or memory. I am sure if she were on the ballot she would win easily, but if thousands of voters are supposed to remember her name...forget it.
Wallace would probably like to run in 2008 but he's burned a lot of bridges and totally alienated a lot of leadership in the district. I was told he got ONLY 4 VOTES TOTAL out of almost 90 at the meeting on Thursday and at the Fort Bend precinct chair meeting when Gillen ran his inappropriate straw poll, he got ONLY ABOUT 1/3 of the precinct chairs in his own county. That, despite all of the hype and PR does not in any way show he has the strength to take on a strong candidate. Then you add in the baggage that is becoming public . . .
( see this link http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/192637.php ) and his political future outside of his own social and business circles looks bleak.
Do you know what DeLay told this republican group the other night in Pearland? He was to have explained the real deal in not running...I don't know about you...but I'm p*ssed at Delay...he's left district 22 high and dry, IMHO.
Basically, I heard DeLay was simply there to encourage the party to pull together. No new information other than what has already been made public. Also, have been told he had no dog in the hunt re a favorite to carry the Republican banner and information to the contrary was incorrect.
Gee, it would've been nice for her to drop the affectation of the hypenated name for someone expecting people to write it in correctly on a ballot...a typical blunder for the GOP.
So what's the reason? I suspect it's money in his coffer he's using to fight his court case in Texas and wasn't willing to use it in a campaign against Lamp...So is that a rumor or what?
Looks like the GOP again is going to snatch defeat from the jaws of a Republican victory.
I can tell you that as a Precinct Chair in CD22, that the meeting was attended by about 85 out of 150 or so of us...
This has been a long, hard and trying time for us who have been thrust into this deal whether we wanted it or not...
I do not believe we have been well led by the leadership in this case, and the result has been that we ended up throwing up what appears to be a sacrificial lamb in this case to those who have only been watching the news about all of this...
I can tell you that Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is a very good friend of mine, and I will do my best in support of her efforts here, she has been aggressive in getting her name out there to the votors who will actually be making this decision...And in November, the base will be there in that capacity...
The process has been dragged out for much too long, and now that we opnly have about 80 days to get this done, we will be having to work real hard to get it done...
But this election process is done in this manner, as far as a short time from primary to election day in other states for many years...We can do it as well...
The only way the democrats win is for Republicans to become apathetic, and not do what we need to do in November to assure a failure of the democrats that have targeted this district, not only DeLay, but the district for almost 10 years...
I plan on delievering a "red" precinct to the district and the state at all costs...
If there had been no clear Republican concensus, I would have urged that no one vote straight party, but adjust thier vote to the Libertarian candidate for this districts US representative, who is a solid conservative, had stated that he'd caucus and vote with Republicans while elected to this seat...
But it looks liek we have a name now to work with, and that hopefully the other candidate will withdraw and help keep the vote focused for "one" candidate...
As far as the concern over the length of the name on the write-in...
It has been stated by the County Clerks office here in Harris County, Texas that "SSG", Shelley or Sekula or even Gibbs would be sufficient to confirm a vote for that particular candidate...
But be aware, even as I write, and it is needing to be confirmed, that the democrats are actively seeking through their lists, potential names matching the conventions noted above, to attempt to steal ro difuse the Republican vote...
But with an education campaign to work out those issues, we should know what we need to do on election day...
I know some here do not live in the district, and therefore are nuetral to the outcome, it is imperative to do everything possible to prevent the probablility of Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker of the House...
I'm sure there would be some need for support on a national level for this particular race...Its happening pretty much everywhere, but if they can get to the "top" guy, what makes anyone else think they would be immune to this BS from the liberals in this country...Thats the way they are doing things now,but if we can stomp them at this critical an hour, I believe it will be easier to counter elsewhere in the country...
Thanks for that info. I lived in 22 close to 20 yrs...am hoping and praying the write in will do the job to keep that district where it belongs...REPUBLICAN...
Dave Wallace announced a short while ago...
"...will not be campaigning for CD22..."
I only heard this second hand, and am trying to confirm the wording here...
The word "withdraw" seems to not have made the trip...
So now we have a three-way race...
Sekula-Gibbs/Lampson/Smither
Republican - liberal - Libertarian
What a political sandwich we have now...
Just remember, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs will not have a party affiliation tag next to her name...For some reason I have heard, and need to make sure of this, that that moniker came and went with Tom DeLay's primary victory and subsequent withdrawal.
Announcement from the Houston Chronicle.
I don't think the republican tag is that important because I understand from you...she intends to get the word out.
I knew Wallace wouldn't be a write in candidate...he's NO dumby...he wants 22 to stay in the hands of the republicans.
I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . she needs to pick a last name and lose that stupid hyphen.
I'd be inclined to vote against a hyphenator on principle alone.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.