Guess he needed to give it to us up the @$$ one more time before he departs the scene.

Former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay will support a write-in candidate for his old seat, his daughter said today, one day after the state Republican Party lost its legal battle to replace him on the November ballot.

In a statement, DeLay said he would withdraw his name from the ballot. Since state law does not allow a party to replace an official nominee who withdraws from the race, no Republican candidate will be on the ballot.

Dani DeLay Ferro sent the Chronicle an e-mail confirming her father's intentions to support a write-in candidate.

"I will take the actions necessary to remove my name from the Texas ballot," DeLay said in his statement. "To do anything else would be hypocrisy."

"I strongly encourage the Republican Party to take any and all actions necessary to give Texas voters an up-or-down choice this fall between two major party candidates," DeLay said.

DeLay maintains that when he resigned from the House this June that he became a resident of Virginia to establish his new business.

"This decision was and is irrevocable, which I made clear from Day One," he said. "My action was taken in accordance with Texas law, federal precedent and common sense. I felt it was my duty to allow Texas Republicans to choose a new candidate for the Fall Election Ballot."

The write-in candidate ofptio is the worst of all worlds, in that it leaves room for multiple candidates and the process is combersome on the eSlate machines used in this area. Most folks will skip the race or vote for a regular candidate rather than take the time to do a write-in (which involves selecting and entering each letter individually with a dial-and-select set-up.

Besides, who will pick the candidate? DeLay? The party? Who?

I really think we just need to settle on the Libertarian for two years, so we can have a consensus candidate emerge from the grassroots.

And let me say it loud and clear, Tom -- Any attempt to get David Wallace on the ballot will result in the active opposition of most of the GOP precinct chairs in Harris County, and probably in Galveston and Brazoria Counties as well. I don't even know that he could command majority support among Fort Bend chairs. Don't even try it.

Posted by: Greg at 02:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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