The Chronicle‘s Eric Hanson reports today that Harris County precinct chairs have selected one Republican candidate to rally behind as a write-in candidate for Congressional District 22:
Republican Party precinct chairs endorsed Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs on Thursday night as the write-in candidate for the congressional district vacated by Tom DeLay.
[snip]
The precinct chairs, who met behind closed doors, chose Sekula-Gibbs over a handful of opponents, including Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace and former state Republican Party executive committee member Tim Turner.
“Tonight was an opportunity for the Republican Party in Congressional District 22 to come to some healing,” Sekula-Gibbs said after the group’s decision. “We have come together and there is now a consensus, a majority, and we are going to go forward and win against the Democrats in November.”
Apparently, Hansen did not ask doctor-councilwoman Sekula-Gibbs if she would be resigning her City Council seat so that she could concentrate on mounting a vigorous write-in candidacy while introducing herself to the voters of the district, many of whom are unfamiliar with her.
Of course, she will not be resigning her Council seat, because she cannot win as a write-in candidate regardless of how vigorously she campaigns. This is much more about the Congressional race in 2008, when she will no longer be a member of Council.
Chris Elam’s blog remains the indispensable source for the latest goings on and comments on the big fun in CD-22.
UPDATE (08-19-2006): A Chronicle story today includes the thoughts of Houston bicyclist Bob Stein on the “race.” The two journalists who wrote the story apparently did not think to ask the doctor-councilwoman if she would be resigning her council seat to focus on this uphill race.
