Question for Texas DUer's:

[ktowntennesseedem]

Delay is stuck on the ballot, can't be replaced at this point, Repugs are stuck with him.

So, say they decide to make the most of it. Under TX election laws, can the GOP name someone to fill in for Delay, if he actually wins and is then, officially, declared ineligible? You know, put out the word to all their loyal minions that a vote for Delay is actually a vote for so-and-so. Missouri elected Carnahan after his death, knowing that a vote for him was actually a vote for his replacement. If Delay wins this thing, can the Texas GOP then name a replacement, do they have to have a special election, does the Governor appoint someone until said election, does the runner-up automatically get the win, etc?

Just wondering about what the Repugs might have up their collective sleeves; no one expects them to just say, "Aw, shucks, guess Lamont's gonna take that seat."

[snowbear]

1. Kickin' the post...

In case there's a Texan in the house with answers..

[ktowntennesseedem]

2. Thanks! -nt

[rusty_parts2001]

3. In the extremely unlikely event Delay wins the seat...

and then withdraws, the Governor (Rick Perry, *'s protege, and wanna be king maker) will select the person to fill the seat. Since there is such a long term remaining (2 years) he'd have to call a special election relatively soon for another free for all election. No need to worry however, Nick Lampson, the Democratic candidate and former Congressman who was gerrymandered out of his seat by Delay, will handily win in November against the SOB.

[Gman]

4. That's a likely strategy

But I think in MO in 2000, people just voted against Ashcroft eventhough it meant voting for a dead man.

[man4allcats]

5. In the unlikely event that DeLay wins,

maybe the Rethugs will then try to force the chimp to resign so that Perry can then appoint him (or Diebold engineer a special election) for him to take DeLay's seat. And we thought we might actually be close to getting rid of the little fool! :rofl: It's so bizarre it's almost credible in a neocon-ical sort of way.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

6. Here's how I see it

And I'm not an expert on Texas election law by any means.

If Delay changes his residency back to Texas before election day, and gets a majority of votes, then he is the victor. He can then resign and there will be a special election. If Delay does not resume his Texas residency by election day, but still gets a majority of votes, he is Constitutionally ineligible, so since there is no majority winner there will still be a special election.

In no event will anyone other than the voters of his district be able to pick someone to fill in for him. The governor does not appoint anyone to fill the vacancy, that power only applies to Senate vacancies.

[Sooner75]

7. sounds about right

I'm even less of an authority on this, but this sounds right to me.

The issues as I see them are:

* Would Delay actually come back and try to retain his seat AFTER resigning?

* Then, if that happened, is Delay damaged enough that District 22 voters would actually vote against him or stay home rather than turn out and mindlessly vote straight Republican as we so down here?

Seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

[Igel]

8. I don't see why he wouldn't try to stay.

At least for a while.

As for support ... I don't know. The area's republican, and it's more than likely that had another guy run he'd have had a good chance of winning, and not Lampson.

But having dems force DeLay to run ... that'll just be seen by a lot of people as partisan politics, trying to manipulate the process so that there can be no viable candidate for Lampson to run against. In other words, some will see it as dems' trying to deny republicans an actual choice.

And some will vote for DeLay because they like him; and others because they know the name.

[elehhhhna]

9. "But having dems force DeLay to run ... " is misinformed statement.

He ran. He won. He quit. The Reep party doesn't just get to handpick a candidate w/o voter input & plop him on the ballot. TX Constitution & election law is VERY clear about this. And Tommy knew that. He eff'd his own supporters. ANd THEY know it.

[Igel]

11. Yes, but the parallel spin is also there:

He ran, he won, he quit. But the party that wants competitive seats and to give voters a choice forced the resolution of something that was unclear in the law so as to deny a choice when the republican party wanted to offer one. In order to make sure their candidate won.

You don't have to believe it. But I predict it'll be an issue (esp. since DeLay isn't running, per other threads--but that in itself is evidence I'm far from infallible).

[elehhhhna]

12. Texans aren't that stupid. I live in Sugar LAnd & they are FED up with

Tommy Boy & there aren't any W stickers to be seen anymore, either.

[NoPasaran]

10. Latest rumor: Bugboy will withdraw, support a write-in

http://time-blog.com/allen_report/2006/08/exclusive_delay_leans_toward_s.html

Washington said they have a good chance of retaining the seat if it is a credible
candidate like a mayor, judge or state legislator. Sugar Land Mayor David
Wallace has expressed interest in running. Write-in candidates have until Aug. 29 to
apply for a slot on the ballot. National Republicans are prepared to put
money into the write-in campaign if a promising candidate is found. "You can buy
name ID," said a Republican official, using campaign shorthand for making a
candidate well known in the district.

But the notion of a write-in campaign drew a different reaction in Texas.
"This would be met with ridicule and scorn," said Bill Miller, a Republican
consultant with close ties to the state's GOP legislative leadership. "This
strategy would be like handing the seat to the Democrats on a silver platter," Miller
said. "Tom Delay will be remembered for the craziest end to his political
career."

Miller said it is arrogant to think voters will support a write-in gambit.
"Anointing a candidate never works," Miller said. "Voters are likely to say,
'The hell with 'em' and write in their own name, their kid's name." Plus, if his name remained on the ballot, it is likely DeLay would attract some of the
vote away from the write-in candidate.

Whatever.

[elehhhhna]

13. PLus David Wallace isn't exactly all that loved 'round here, lately,

either.