Primary for DeLay's Seat Is Shaping Up as Referendum on the Incumbent

[cal04]

Primary for DeLay's Seat Is Shaping Up as Referendum on the Incumbent

(snip)
At a dinner in Houston last Tuesday that drew Gov. Rick Perry and other state officials, Mr. DeLay raised thousands of dollars for the party by rattling off a polished performance as auctioneer, luring bidders for a puppy and custom-made cowboy boots by declaring, to laughter, "I'm like a cemetery, I'll take anything." But if the primary is a referendum on Mr. DeLay, the lines are not always easy to discern in Sugar Land, the fastest-growing Texas city. The population has tripled since 1990 to 75,000, pacing the rest of the district, which includes the Johnson Space Center and is the very image, some say, of 21st-century America. Out of its new shopping malls and apartment villages swelled by immigrants from India, China, Vietnam and the Middle East comes the first concrete evidence of the degree to which Mr. DeLay's problems have imperiled his career and undermined his party.

(snip)
If Mr. DeLay wins at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff next month, other uncertainties remain. There will be a summer Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the disputed Congressional redistricting map that Mr. DeLay was instrumental in pushing though in 2003. There is his pending trial in Austin on state money-laundering charges relating to campaign contributions. And there are likely to be further revelations from the federal investigation involving the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is cooperating with the authorities and whom Mr. DeLay once called "one of my closest and dearest friends."

The most recent poll, taken for The Houston Chronicle in mid-January, suggested that Mr. DeLay would probably win the primary without a runoff but would lose in November to Nick Lampson, a former congressman who was ousted in the redistricting and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Mr. DeLay, questioned at the dinner party in Houston last week, dismissed that finding, calling Mr. Lampson "way too liberal for the district." In a fiery speech to hundreds of party delegates and donors, Mr. DeLay said the Democrats had "nobody running, or nobody good." "We're going to beat them and beat them big," he said, although he cautioned, "we can't be arrogant about this majority."

Mr. Lampson's campaign manager, Mike Malaise, said he welcomed a showdown. "You can prognosticate all you want," he said, "but we end up with $2 million before they decide who their candidate is." Mr. DeLay has raised almost twice as much as Mr. Lampson, federal filings show, but has also spent much more, leaving the Democrat with somewhat more cash on hand as of mid-February. Primary races are traditionally decided by a small but active fraction of the electorate, political experts say, and a low turnout generally benefits incumbents, who have the finances and organization to better mobilize supporters. Mr. DeLay told supporters at the dinner, "A low turnout helps me."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/06/politics/06delay.html

[MiniMe]

1. LOL, was he telling his supporters not to bother voting?

So there would be a low voter turnout? Good idea Tom.