Texas Democrats on Friday urged a federal appeals court to uphold a judges’ ruling that former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, a Republican, must remain on the fall election ballot in the race for his suburban Houston congressional seat.
Despite DeLay’s efforts to resign and Republicans’ attempts to get a new candidate, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled earlier this month the embattled former House majority leader must stay on the November ballot.
Texas Republicans dutifully elected Delay to be the candidate in their primary. Now, it looks like they’re stuck with him.
DeLay, who is awaiting trial on Texas charges of money laundering and conspiracy in a campaign finance case, resigned from Congress on June 9 after he already had won his party’s nomination.
State election law allows a political party to replace a candidate if the candidate dies, becomes medically incapacitated or becomes ineligible for office. If the candidate simply withdraws from the race after winning his or her primary, the name cannot be removed.
I don’t know which is creepier? Republicans voting for Delay during the primary — when it was pretty clear he was one of the Korruption Kings of Kongress? Or the fact that Texans might re-elect him in the district he gerrymandered — after the last election — anyway?
The gerrymandering doesn’t help him win. He ‘took one for the team’, and moved Democrats out of other districts and into his own. It’s not as sneaky as your excerpts suggest, as Delay did change his registration to Virginia, and Texas lawand the Constitution say you’re not eligible if you don’t live there. The courts probably have it right that Delay should stay on the ballot. I’m not sure how the Democrats can be complaining in court after what they did with Torricelli.
His registration may have changed but he still lives down here in Texas! That is the point of the judges ruling, and his papers were served to him personally, again, in Texas.
Another thing is that Texas law says a candidate’s residency is determined on the day of the election. So Delay saying he lives in Virginia means absolutely nothing. This was put in to law to prevent a “straw man” candidate winning the party’s primary and then dropping out and having the party leaders had pick a candidate to go on the ballot.
Delay hasn’t even moved from Texas. His wife still lives here, has a house, and he is here a good percentage of the time.
Its the least the Democrats can do to repay the Republican effort to get Ralph Nader on several state ballots in the last Presidential election… [grin]
3 This was put in to law to prevent a “straw man” candidate winning the party’s primary and then dropping out and having the party leaders had pick a candidate to go on the ballot.
Which I wouldn’t put past DeLay…
As AB CD says: “taking one for the team” while he still could…
>That is the point of the judges ruling,
No prophet got it right. The judge ruled that they have no way of knowing if he will be residing in VA on Election Day.
This is going to backfire on the Democrats bigtime. They think their “corruption” charge is going to stick when they force Delay to remain on the ticket? The charge will ring hollow to the voters.
I imagine there will be a backlash against the Democrats with this strategy. They could have held the high ground – but by forcing the Republicans to keep Delay on the ballot is just as dirty politics as the redistricting that had been going on during his tenure. And given that this is in Texas, I can’t imagine this going over well with the voters…
#7.
You mean dirty tricks don’t work? McCain would be suprised to hear that. Where were you the last two presidential elections? Can you say “Rove”?
That being said – it could backfire because the democrats have an absolute idiot savant-like genius for picking the wrong candidate.
I think what people are missing here is that none of this would matter if the idiot voter knew who was actually running for the office.
Unlike a lot of PSA on TV and radio telling you to vote no matter what, I say if you haven’t got enough interest in the issues of the day, please stay home and do the country a favor.
#6, 1, 8, & 9. Boy do you guys have it wrong. Not only have you underestimated the intelligence of the American voter, you have just insulted everyone that has hauled their butt to the election booth to cast their ballot.
If anything, this is going to backfire on the Republicans. Delay quit right after winning the primary. There was nothing that changed excepting his Democratic opponent is leading in the early opinion polling. The Democrats are and will continue to emphasize the corruption and arrogance of the Republicans in general and Delay in particular.
Delay resigned his seat so that Texas Governor Perry could appoint a replacement. If Delay had resigned his seat earlier, then the Governor would have had to call an election to fill the seat. Delay and Perry are trying to take advantage of Texas election law. That is what will be seen by Texas voters as going hand in glove with the arrogance charges.