Olson ran a good campaign hammering Lampson on his pro-abortion record. It certainly helped that Lampson takes a shifty looking picture as well.
I am glad to hear Pete won, but I don’t think Soros minds taking a few minor losses tonight, if you know what I mean.
Once I recovered enough to think, I immediately looked this up and was thrilled. At least we won one.
Very good. Sadly, my congresswoman Sheila Jackson whatever was sent back to DC.
Inhofe was another Soros target and we are sending him back to DC. His opponents race was run by two Soros aides.
Olson ran a good campaign hammering Lampson on his pro-abortion record. It certainly helped that Lampson takes a shifty looking picture as well.
Houston PING
Latest wire news
Nov. 5, 2008 – 1:10 a.m.
111th House Freshmen: Pete Olson, R-Texas (22)
Election: Defeated Rep. Nick Lampson , D
Residence: Sugar Land
Born: Dec. 9, 1962; Fort Lewis, Wash.
Religion: United Methodist
Family: Wife, Nancy Olson; two children
Education: Rice U., B.A. 1985 (computer science); U. of Texas, J.D. 1988
Military: Navy, 1988-98
Career: Congressional aide; Navy Senate liaison
Political highlights: No previous office
Olson will likely be a reliable vote for conservative Republican policies. He favors lower taxes and offshore oil drilling and opposes abortion rights and liberal immigration policies. Olson plans to follow the tradition of his former bosses, Texas Sens. Phil Gramm (1985-2002) and John Cornyn , for whom he worked as an aide. Olson’s natural specialty is defense policy, which he learned from both the military and political sides of the debate as an aide to the senators. He will be seeking a seat on the Armed Services Committee. His Capitol Hill experience caused him trouble in the campaign with opponents who criticized his 2007 return to the district and his Washington affiliations, but his knowledge of Congress should let him start much faster than other freshmen. “I will bring budgetary, appropriations and policy experience — as well as a national security background,” he says in a written response to questions.
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It turns out Rep. Nick Lampson’s (D-TX 22) ‘06 win was a fluke. Sen. Cornyn ex-aide Pete Olson (R) defeated Lampson 52-45% in a CD that’s heavily GOP. It was always going to be an uphill climb for the Dem to keep the seat, and Olson’s primary win — where he defeated the erratic ex-Rep. Shelley Sekula Gibbs (R) — made Lampson’s climb that much tougher. A win by Sekula Gibbs may have handed Lampson another freebee. Meanwhile, in two other areas where GOPers were thought to be in some bit of trouble, Reps. John Culberson (R-TX 07) and Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) enjoyed comfortable wins.
TAB
Ronnie Earle sucks waffles.
11/05/2008 DMN: Olson upends Lampson in closely watched race - - In the end, Texas’ GOP-reinforced congressional districts built by former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay were strong enough to withstand an evening of historic victories by Democrats. Voters cast out Republicans around the country and elected the first black president-elect, but the Texas congressional delegation actually gained GOP strength thanks to a man who left office in a cloud of scandal two years ago. DeLay’s the architect of Texas’ congressional map designed for perpetual Republican wins.
Pete Olson won the Houston-area district that belonged to DeLay for more than two decades, defeating Democratic incumbent Rep. Nick Lampson 53 percent to 45 percent with almost all precincts counted. Lampson served a single term in District 22, which he won against a write-in candidate after DeLay abandoned the 2006 race. “That was one of the bright spots here. We took CD22 back. That was the land occupied by Nick Lampson and it’s back in Republican hands,” said Jared Woodfill, Harris County Republican Party chairman. Lampson was the only one of Texas’ 32 congressional incumbents to lose. All other incumbents were re-elected. In the 2009-10 Congress, Texas’ delegation will have 20 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
Olson said the Democratic wins around the country show the nation is in a transitionary period. “Some people are looking for change. I will work with both sides of the aisle, but I will always represent the people of my district and their values,” Olson said. Lampson said he felt he performed well, but couldn’t overcome DeLay’s design of the district for a Republican win. Although Barack Obama won some key states to win the White House and help other Democrats, “in this case it was not meant to be,” Lampson said.
During the general election campaign, Olson emphasized his military service and painted Lampson as a liberal beholden to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He defended himself against Democrats’ allegations that he voted in a 2003 election in Connecticut while voting in Virginia that same year. The issue is under investigation.
Democrats now control the House by a 235-199 margin, with one vacancy. They unseated a half-dozen Republican incumbents and captured eight open GOP seats, capitalizing on the unusually high 29 Republican departures. Republicans knocked off three Democratic incumbents. With more than 380 of the 435 House races decided, Democrats held leads for a dozen other Republican-held seats. Republicans were leading in fewer than a handful of seats held by Democrats.
MAR
Pickups
Texas, heavilly GOP seat where the Republican was not allowed to run last time, only as a write-in (effing judge)
Louisiana cause a black dem indie sucked away some votes from the rat who took the seat in the special election.
Florida where another rat who shouldn’t have been there got caught in a sex scandal.
Kansas statewide officeholder over freshman rat in Republican seat, barley.
4 measly take backs.
Add that to the NO gains in 06 and massive conservative seat losses and it’s extremely pathetic.
I really wish at least Barletta would have won.