DeLay Bows Out... Again

Well, Tom DeLay officially moved his residence out of Texas and tried to have himself replaced on the ballot by another Republican nominee. That effort failed, and DeLay remains the official Republican nominee. However, that doesn't mean he has to campaign for the job, and it doesn't even mean that his name has to appear on the ballot. Instead, there will be a blank space on the ballot, and Republicans will attempt to organize a write-in campaign to retain the seat.

This is tricky, but not insurmountable. As the article linked above properly notes, the key will be to limit the number of Republicans running.

I'm not sure the last time a candidate won a Congressional race on write-in votes, although former Representative Linda Smith (R-WA) won her first Congressional primary as a write-in candidate when the favorite withdrew late in the race (in 1994). The GOP will have a tough road ahead of it in this race.

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