GOP ready to spend big for new [TX] seats -- `Plenty of resources' on hand, DeLay says

Houston Chronicle ^ | Jan. 7, 2004 | R.G. RATCLIFFE

[JohnnyZ]

AUSTIN -- U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Wednesday that Republicans will spend the money it takes to win the seats drawn for the GOP in a congressional redistricting map.

"Having the right kind of map that represents the voting trends of Texas finally puts us in a fair position," DeLay told the Houston Chronicle. "Now we have to do it."

A three-judge federal court, in a decision split on party lines Tuesday, rejected arguments by Democrats and minority groups that a congressional redistricting plan violates minority voting rights. The court cleared the map for use in this year's elections.

The new map likely will erase the Democrats' majority in the state's congressional delegation after this year's elections. If predictions hold, the Republicans will end up with a 22-10 majority.

The candidate filing period for the new congressional seats begins Sunday and ends Jan. 16.

The Democrats already have lost U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall of Rockwall, who filed for re-election as a Republican.

Republican candidates are lining up for races in six other districts that are likely to change parties under the new map. Several districts will have contested Republican primaries.

"We will have plenty of resources to support whomever the nominees are in these districts," DeLay said.

DeLay and other Republicans pushed the Legislature to redraw congressional districts last year, saying it was unfair for the GOP to hold all statewide offices and a legislative majority and yet be denied a majority in the congressional delegation because the boundaries favored Democratic incumbents.

Democratic incumbents likely to fall victim to the redistricting plan include U.S. Reps. Max Sandlin of Marshall, Jim Turner of Crockett, Nick Lampson of Beaumont, Chet Edwards of Waco, Martin Frost of Dallas and Charles Stenholm of Abilene.

Down but not completely out, Texas Democrats on Wednesday filed formal notice that they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to issue an emergency stay against using the map in the 2004 elections.

"It's an uphill process. I'm not going to sugarcoat it," said J. Gerald Hebert, a lawyer for the state's congressional Democrats.

The challenge to the Republican map was brought by Democrats and several minority groups. Because it was filed under the federal Voting Rights Act, the appeal goes directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hebert said Democrats would argue to the nation's high court that the congressional map used in the 2002 elections was legal and thus is more appropriate to use this year than a map still subject to legal challenge.

"If we can convince them there is enough of a legal cloud over this map ... we've got a good chance of convincing the Supreme Court to let the current (2002) map stay in effect," Hebert said.

Hebert said the Democrats are not asking the court to halt the March 9 primary, just to block the use of the new map.

Hebert said he expects the request for an emergency stay to be filed with the Supreme Court in the next several days.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday said he expected the Democrats to file for an emergency stay but predicted it will be rejected by the Supreme Court.

Tuesday's ruling was issued by two judges appointed by Republican presidents: 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Patrick Higginbotham of Dallas and U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal of Houston.

U.S. District Judge John Ward of Marshall, an appointee of a Democratic president, found that the map violated minority voting rights in South Texas and said he would have refused to allow the map in this year's elections.

[JohnnyZ]

Nick Lampson is talking about challenging DeLay - ha ha! Turner isn't running; he may run for governor in 2006. Sandlin, Edwards, Frost, and Stenholm are all praying for a miracle.

[Support Free Republic]

Rank	Location	Receipts	Donors/Avg		Freepers/Avg		Monthlies
40	Oklahoma	101.00	5	20.20	199	0.51	126.00	9

Thanks for donating to Free Republic!

Move your locale up the leaderboard!

[Impy]

Frost has vowed not to quit.

I for one don't want him to, I want to see him get torn a new one in November.

[AuH2ORepublican]

There are 4 districts that hold between 20%-25% of Frost's current CD, and all four of them had Republican perfomance of above 60% in 2002. Frost is toast.