Oh happy day! David Wallace is OUT of the CD22 race, leaving the field clear for a single GOP-backed write-in candidate, Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.

Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace withdrew Monday as a Republican write-in candidate for the seat vacated by the resignation of former House Majority leader Tom DeLay.

His action left the Texas GOP united behind one write-in candidate, Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who had won the party's endorsement last week.

Wallace had previously indicated he would stay in the race despite the party's snub.

"What I am choosing to do at this time is unite with the Republican Party behind one candidate," Wallace said at a news conference. "There is no way that two write-in candidates could win. It would be very difficult and divisive to the Republican Party."

Wallace said the party did not pressure him to withdraw.

I don't know about that last statement -- a lot of the grasroots activists (including me) have been putting pressure on him to get out of the race. I don't doubt that Wallace heard from some elected officials telling him to get out of the race if he wants to have any sort of future in the GOP.

And it does come down to a question of campaign finance.

The national GOP says it's willing to commit $3 million for the race, but only if there was one Republican write-in candidate.

Actually, I've heard a figure of $4 million -- but only in the event there was a single viable GOP with the backing of the party. Continuing to stay in the race would have resulted in the national party writing off CD22 -- and left David Wallace holding the bag for the loss of the seat. The other GOP write-in, Don Richardson, is a non-entity who promised to drop out last week. I can only presume that he is a man of his word.

That is not to say that Wallace exited the race with either class or grace -- that is not in his nature.

Wallace took a swipe at that process Monday. “In a session closed to the public, an alternative candidate received the endorsement of the Texas Republican Party by winning a straw poll of 83 precinct chairs that were allowed to vote for what was labeled ‘the Republican choice’ for the write-in candidate to replace Tom DeLay,” he said.

Since that night, “I have received hundreds and hundreds of emails and phone calls” by “people who were not allowed to vote” at the Thursday meeting, and who “strongly encouraged me to continue to run,” Wallace said.

“Without exception, these callers and supporters questioned this made-up process and asked why 83 individuals could determine the ‘Republican choice’ candidate for over 33,000 Republican primary voters across the district,” he said. “Rather than unifying our party, it has only caused further fragmentation.”

In other words, Wallace claims that any process that involved the selection of a candidate by the elected grass-roots leaders of the GOP in CD22 is illegitimate unless it were to result in his selection as the candidate. Too the very last, he is seeking to sow division.

Democrats, of course, are now trying to create a scandal since they have a strong conservative woman from CD22 running against their liberal carpetbagger candidate. Seems obvious that there is a reason that Democrat and Desperation both start with a D!

Posted by: Greg at 12:03 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 584 words, total size 4 kb.