Tom DeLay in Major Trouble Back Home

[Frodo]

it would be poetic justice if a Democrat could Tom Foley-him out of office by the next election thanks to his own efforts to redistrict a Republican congressional majority in Texas.......

DeLay Moves To Protect His Political Base Back in Texas

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 3, 2005; Page A01

SUGAR LAND, Tex. -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), struggling to protect his Washington power base as legal and ethical issues fester, also has to watch his back on the home front.

Though the change has received little notice, DeLay's strength in his suburban Houston congressional district of strip malls and housing developments has eroded considerably -- forcing him to renew his focus on protecting his seat.

DeLay garnered 55 percent of the vote in the November election against a relatively unknown Democrat, an unusually modest showing for a veteran House member who is one of the most powerful politicians in Washington. Some Republican officials and DeLay supporters worry that with President Bush absent from the top of the ticket next year, liberal interest groups might target the conservative majority leader and spend millions of dollars on campaign ads to try to defeat him.

The outspoken and hard-charging DeLay, 57, got into trouble last year when the House ethics committee admonished him three times and three of his Texas associates were indicted by a Travis County grand jury on charges of illegal fundraising related to a controversial redistricting plan that DeLay helped push through the state legislature. Testimony began this week in a civil case brought in Austin by five Democrats who allege that a political action committee begun by DeLay improperly spent about $600,000 in corporate contributions to implement the plan and unseat them.

House Republican leaders responded to DeLay's problems by changing rules and tightening their control over the ethics committee, to discourage future cases against DeLay and other GOP members. National conservative groups rallied to DeLay's side. DeLay has denied any wrongdoing.

But DeLay now has to worry about "Texas 22," the congressional district he has represented for the past 21 years in the U.S. House. Ironically, the Texas redistricting plan he engineered over strong Democratic objections drained some vital Republican support and could make it tougher for him to win reelection. In his old district, DeLay took 60 percent of the vote in 2000 and 63 percent in 2002.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2575-2005Mar2.html

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It would be extremely funning if he somehow manages to lose, but I just don't see it.

[Frodo]

It would be extremely funning if he somehow manages to lose, but I just don't see it.

well, at least we can actually try to make him earn his seat for a change, and leave him constantly looking over his shoulder before trying to help his colleagues in the House and expanding their Republican majority.  it never hurts to have strong Democratic challengers in his district like Richard Morrison distracting him.   

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He has a zillion scandals. Those may have been why the race was closer. Still Scandal-ridden Texas Republican is sort of redundant, and there's really not the outrage that there would be if it was a blue state.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Dear Democrats,

Please, please wast...er...spend all of your money in this seat.

Thanks,
- The Republican Party

[minionofmidas]

Don,
no matter how you look at it that's not an ultra-Republican district. It's gone less os at the redistricting, and it seems to be drifting Dem too. Basically it's got most of Texas' Black Middle Class within its boundaries.

Which is not to say I can see DeLay losing.

[AuH2O]

I agree, let Democrats waste money on it. Maybe they could even get incredibly lucky and win, but who cares? It would mean they didn't properly fund other races.

[Rob]

I really, really hope that that corrupt douchebag loses. Probably not gonna happen, but no one expected Foley to lose either...

[The Duke]

He got only 55% because of redistricting, they GOP wanted to spread their voters to get more seats rather than safer seats.  I remember some Democrats thought they had a chance to beat him in 2004, but it didn't happen then and won't happen now.  The guy basically drew his own district, do you think he'd screw himself?

[Jake]

I really, really hope that that corrupt douchebag loses. Probably not gonna happen, but no one expected Foley to lose either...

great sig, Bob

[Ebowed]

I'd love to see DeLay lose, but I doubt it'll happen... still... there's a chance...

[Alcon]

As much as I'd like to see DeLay unemployed, I would not waste much time here.

[jimrtex]

Don,
no matter how you look at it that's not an ultra-Republican district. It's gone less os at the redistricting, and it seems to be drifting Dem too. Basically it's got most of Texas' Black Middle Class within its boundaries.

Which is not to say I can see DeLay losing.

Not really.  District 9 has 60% of Ft Bend's Black population, but only 25% of the total population.  The biggest difference is that he gave up  a big chunk of Brazoria county, and took part of Galveston County (which he lost).

In addition while he only had 55% of the vote, his Democrat opponent only had 41%. 

[ian]

Don't people with Tom DeLay's image help us Dems out by making the Repub party look bad?  I say yes.  Keep him; fund other races.

[J.R. Brown]

He got only 55% because of redistricting, they GOP wanted to spread their voters to get more seats rather than safer seats. I remember some Democrats thought they had a chance to beat him in 2004, but it didn't happen then and won't happen now. The guy basically drew his own district, do you think he'd screw himself?

I think it's funny how you Republicans are always comparing Democrats totalitarian socialists with our government spending. When you just said right here that Tom Delay drew his own district to keep himself in power. That doesn't sound very democratic to me. If does to you, you're a moron.

[The Duke]

He got only 55% because of redistricting, they GOP wanted to spread their voters to get more seats rather than safer seats. I remember some Democrats thought they had a chance to beat him in 2004, but it didn't happen then and won't happen now. The guy basically drew his own district, do you think he'd screw himself?

I think it's funny how you Republicans are always comparing Democrats totalitarian socialists with our government spending. When you just said right here that Tom Delay drew his own district to keep himself in power. That doesn't sound very democratic to me. If does to you, you're a moron.

I'm not aware of any remark I've made callng democrats totalitarian.

I do think legislatures drawing their own districts is undemocratic, but it is also the system in place in most states, including Texas (and California, though Arnold is trying to change that) so you can't blame somebody too much for taking advantge of the system.  What, is he supposed to play to lose?

[jimrtex]

I think it's funny how you Republicans are always comparing Democrats totalitarian socialists with our government spending. When you just said right here that Tom Delay drew his own district to keep himself in power. That doesn't sound very democratic to me. If does to you, you're a moron.

He had been in district that was packed Republican by the 1990s Frostrocity.  Look at the arm of District 22 in Harris County in the 1990s plan.  The Democrats went block by block and would turn down one street and up another based on whether people voted Democrat or Republican.   If he wanted to simply keep getting re-elected from his district he didn't have to do anything.