Sugar Land's Delay Wins 11th Term In Congress

[ricco67]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2880953

Nov. 3, 2004, 1:51AM

Sugar Land's DeLay wins 11th term in Congress

By JOE STINEBAKER

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, the key architect of a recent statewide redistricting plan to increase Republican representation in the House, did his share to accomplish that goal by fending off three challengers tonight to win an 11th term in Congress.

DeLay

DeLay, a Sugar Land Republican and the House majority leader, was leading in early returns with approximately 57 percent of the vote. Democrat Richard R. Morrison had about 39 percent. Libertarian Tom Morrison and independent candidate Michael Fjetland won the remainder.

DeLay will continue to represent Texas' heavily Republican 22nd Congressional District, which includes areas of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties. But the size of his victory was considerably smaller than in recent campaigns, when he polled between 60 percent and 74 percent of the vote.

Democrats and other challengers generally have been unable to mount a serious threat to DeLay, who has wielded considerable money and popularity within his district.

But Richard Morrison raised more than $500,000 for his campaign this year, giving him a larger war chest than recent DeLay challengers. Morrison used that money to try to persuade voters that DeLay used questionable if not illegal tactics to raise money for his and other Republicans' congressional and legislative campaigns.

Three DeLay associates were indicted last month on illegal campaign-funding charges related in part to the Republican redistricting push.

The House Ethics Committee, evenly divided among Republicans and Democrats, unanimously voted this year to admonish DeLay for showing an "appearance of favoritism" to a company that donated to his political action committees and for contacting the Federal Aviation Administration to search for Democratic state legislators who fled Texas in an effort to defeat the redistricting plan.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, House minority leader, has called on DeLay to resign his leadership position. But the Republican speaker of the house, J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois, defended DeLay and called the ethics committee "a battleground for politics."

[Talbot]

yeah that pissed me off.

[UrbanLandscape]

Democratic U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, House minority leader, has called on DeLay to resign his leadership position.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, two people I absolutely despise going at each other.

[Astro]

Too bad Delay's lack of ethics wasn't brought to the limelight until so late this year. What he needs is a good well-funded Republican to challenge him in the primaries... That district won't elect a democrat.

Although it does say a lot how many people voted against him this year compared to past elections. Obviously the number of people in his district who want him gone is growing.

[pineda]

I personally think the only reason he got elected once again, disgraceful as he is, is because so many voters voted straight ticket Republican. Plus, it didn't help to have two lesser-known challengers with the same last name.

[Astro]

I hate straight ticket voting... I think it's evil...

[Subdude]

Moved to "Way Off Topic"

[ricco67]

Moving topics is evil!

But it's as good a place as any.

Ricco

[ssullivan]

I hate straight ticket voting... I think it's evil...

Agreed. I don't think it should be allowed. People should have to go through and make selections on each race, not just vote based on party affiliation. They can still do that, but force them to make a choice on each race, even if that choice is not to cast a vote in a particular race.

[tamtagon]

I hate straight ticket voting... I think it's evil...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At one time, straight ticket voting probably served a useful purpose, but now it seems to be an overall drain on society and a major contributor to partisan politics.