DeLay Wins Tex. GOP Primary By Sylvia Moreno, Washington Post Staff Writer

Rep. Tom DeLay, facing an unusual four-way Republican primary, won the party’s nomination Tuesday, calling his victory a rejection by voters of “the politics of personal destruction.”

“I have always placed my faith in the voters, and today’s vote shows they have placed their full faith in me,” DeLay, 58, said in a statement issued by his reelection campaign.

“Democrat attacks and the politics of personal destruction were heavily used by my opponents in this Republican primary, and they were rejected just like they will be in November,” he said.

None of the reports I’ve read indicate when DeLay last got as little as 6x% of the vote or had 3 Republican challengers. Democrats should delight that Republicans have renominated him — he is THE poster child for the “culture of corruption.” Bring Him On! mjh

DeLay — under criminal indictment on a money-laundering charge; rebuked three times by the House ethics committee; and linked to former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to political corruption charges — faced his toughest primary race in his 22-year congressional career. Although he spent about $2 million, DeLay ran a low-profile primary campaign, focusing on reaching the most dedicated voters through direct-mail pitches and phone calls. He did not run any radio or television ads, reflecting the campaign’s belief that they would heighten the profile of the GOP primary and bring out anti-DeLay voters. …

“I’m honored . . . to defend this district from the funding and activism of America’s most radical Democrats,” he said. “Liberal activists like Barbra Streisand, George Soros and Nancy Pelosi all have a dog in this fight, and his name is Nick Lampson.”