No matter how long you have been in politics, you come to find that every cycle provides a case unlike any you have ever seen. The winner this year has to be Texas' 22nd district, where former Majority Leader Tom DeLay is fighting to ensure that he can be REMOVED from the ballot. Usually, of course, candidates are working to convince a judge to allow them ONTO a ballot. This Alice-in-Wonderland situation has kept those Republicans who are hoping to replace DeLay on the ballot this fall in limbo, while also giving Democrat Nick Lampson plenty of time to build his warchest and define himself before the GOP gets a chance to do it for him.
Still, in a district as Republican as this one (the PVI rating is R+15) Lampson needs more than just a head start on his GOP opponents: he needs some more lucky breaks along the way.
On July 6, federal judge Sam Sparks ruled that Republicans cannot replace DeLay, who announced his retirement on April 4, on the ballot. The Texas Republican party filed an
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