Texas Republicans abandon DeLay fight

Looks like it is a sad day on The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Texas Republicans on Monday abandoned their court fight to replace former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on the November ballot after being turned back at the Supreme Court.

The decision came after Justice
Antonin Scalia rejected Texas Republicans' request to block an appeals court ruling saying DeLay's name should remain on the ballot.

"I think all our legal avenues are exhausted in terms of affecting the ruling prior to the election," said Jim Bopp Jr., the attorney who argued the Republican Party's case to allow party officials to substitute another candidate for DeLay.

Under indictment on money laundering charges in Texas, DeLay won a March primary election that made him the Republican nominee for Congress from his home district near Houston. In June, he resigned from Congress and said he would not seek re-election.

Democrats had sued to keep DeLay on the ballot, with the former lawmaker's legal troubles becoming a symbol for claims of Republican corruption.

DeLay and Texas Republican Party Chairwoman Tina Benkiser were not immediately available for comment.

Benkiser's effort to replace DeLay on the ballot was turned back in a series of court decisions that reached a climax Monday at the Supreme Court. She had sought a delay of an appeals court ruling until Republicans could formally ask the Supreme Court to review the case.

The request was routed to Scalia, who handles appeals from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The New Orleans-based appeals court last week sided with Democrats' claims that, if DeLay is eligible to run but drops out of the race, the Republican Party cannot substitute another candidate.

Less than three hours later, Scalia turned down the request without comment.

So DeLay's name is going to have to stay on the Texas ballot for this November. I do find it ironic for the Republican Party here. When Representative Bob Ney announced his withdrawal from the race, the Republican Party has the opportunity to legally replace Ney with another candidate, as according to Ohio election laws. However, with Tom DeLay, the Republicans tried to use the courts as a means to force DeLay's name off the ballot--and the Republicans failed miserably.

Talk about politics here.