DeLay is a smart and aggressive politician. Probably only a few recall that HE personally saw to it that GOP rules reinstate a requirement that indicted members relinquish leadership roles.
Hopefully "culture of corruption" stigma will be appropriately attached.
What happens if DeLay is renominated on March 7 and then resigns from Congress in, say, July or August? Will the Republicans be able to put forth another candidate for the November 2006 general election? If not, Democrat Lampson is as good as elected, for the independent candidate Steve Stockman (yet to be certified for the ballot) would not be viable. He has already lost to Lampson in the past, and voters are reluctant to vote for independents.