PEARLAND, Texas (AP) - Voting Republican in this conservative district was never difficult when Tom DeLay's name was on the ballot. With DeLay out of the race and the GOP unable by law to substitute a name on the ballot, voters must write in the Republican candidate, Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. That could prove to be such a chore that Democrats might walk away with a seat that has long been in the GOP's hands. Cynthia Hart, a straight-ticket Republican and mother of three in suburban Houston, said she was unaware she would have to write in the Republican candidate.
"I guess I have to be more careful," Hart said. "But I'm not so sure I would take the time to go through all that."
That's welcome news to Democrats who see a real chance for capturing the former House majority leader's seat, a gain that could help them wrest control of the House from the GOP. Democrats need to gain 15 seats to seize the majority.
Beyond the math, winning in DeLay's district would be sweet revenge for an opposition party that has suffered the powerful Republican's wrath for nearly a decade. Democrats have a legitimate candidate in Nick Lampson, a former congressman who has outraised, outspent and campaigned longer than the Republicans.
Less than a month to the election, Lampson isn't gloating.
"Certainly, there's the satisfaction of being able to win, and to prove your point, but it was always about the issues," Lampson said. "I obviously felt he (DeLay) was vulnerable or I wouldn't have gotten into it. Some thought that I was nuts, but I guess when you believe strongly enough that something needs to change, you're willing to do extraordinary things to do it."
DeLay resigned from Congress in June amid a series of investigations of his fundraising activities. The courts refused to allow Republicans to replace him on the ballot, leading him to withdraw from the race and forcing Republicans to turn to Sekula-Gibbs as a write-in candidate.
National Republicans were supposed to invest $3 million to $4 million to help Sekula-Gibbs, according to state Republican chairwoman Tina Benkiser. So far, however, she's received just $134,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Lampson had $2.2 million to spend as of June 30.
Sekula-Gibbs, 53, insists the national attention surrounding the race and intense media coverage locally have helped her overcome any disadvantages. The dermatologist entered politics after her husband, local television anchorman Sylvan Rodriguez, died of cancer.
"It was essential to me that we maintain a conservative voice in Washington," she said in explaining her decision. "The people of this district are very conservative. They want a conservative voice. And the individual who the Democrats have offered is far from conservative."
Although Lampson gets low marks from conservative groups, he secured the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, a prize among Texas candidates.
Sekula-Gibbs strongly supports the war in Iraq, opposes abortion and favors building a fence and stationing the National Guard at the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration.
Lampson, 61, describes the war in Iraq as "a mess," but he says he opposes withdrawing until the Iraqi army is capable of controlling the country. He favors sending more border agents south but not the military. He also advocates more rigorous prosecution of businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Lampson plays down party affiliation in the Republican-leaning district, which President Bush won with 64 percent of the vote in 2004.
"I believe that people want something different from the partisanship that they have been experiencing," he said, noting that he received 60 percent of the vote in his old district, which was 53 percent Republican.
Much of Sekula-Gibbs' time and money has gone toward telling voters who she is and how to vote for her. Vice President Dick Cheney headlined a fundraiser for her earlier this month. The campaign also had been working to bring in House Speaker Dennis Hastert, but it quickly abandoned those plans in the wake of the congressional page scandal.
Advertising may help voters gain familiarity with Sekula-Gibbs' write- in campaign, but some experts predict it won't help enough.
The district uses electronic voting and voters will have to highlight and enter the "write-in" entry. They then turn a small wheel on the voting machine and spell out Sekula-Gibbs' name. Misspellings or other errors will be accepted as votes as long as the voter's intent is clear to members of "resolution committees" made up of Republicans and Democrats in each county.
Helen Square, an independent voter from Houston, said she would write in Sekula-Gibbs because she was familiar with her work on Houston City Council.
"I like to vote for the person," Square said, "and not for the party."
Alvin and Ruth Ziehr, a Pearland couple, said they try to keep up with local politics but acknowledged it's been difficult to stay atop changes in this race. The two knew that "Shelley someone" was mounting a GOP write-in effort and that no Republican would appear on the ballot.
"But that's all right with me," laughed Alvin Ziehr. "I've never voted Republican in my life."
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On the Net:
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs: http://sekulagibbsforcongress.com/
Nick Lampson: http://lampson.com/
