Stockman Can’t Run For Congress

In a major change likely to alter the landscape of the November election in Congressional District 22, the Texas Secretary of State ruled Thursday that former Congressman Steve Stockman (R-Friendswood) did not have enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot as an Independent.

Steve Stockman won’t be running as an independent in the race for retired former congressman Tom DeLay’s District 22 seat.

Stockman turned in more than 600 signatures to the SOS, but less than 500—the amount he needed to be on the ballot—were valid.

I’ve heard some rumblings from CD-22 tonight that Stockman could sue the SOS, but I believe that’s a mere cover story, as the fact Stockman has previously served in Congress and has at least some base in CD-22 (along with other factors) now puts him near the top of the list of candidates to replace Tom DeLay on the ballot—that is, if a replacement is even allowed in light of pending litigation.

Stockman defeted Jack Brooks after three tries in the mid-1990s and was defeated by Nick Lampson, the CD-22 Democratic nominee, in 1994.
Fort Bend Now has this take on Stockman’s departure:

Some political observers believed Stockman, as a former Republican, would have split the GOP vote and thus make a Lampson victory more likely. But while Stockman’s exit could be seen as a boost for Republicans, they still have no declared candidate in the race against Lampson and Libertarian Bob Smither.

I disagree. While Stockman would have drained away Republican votes, I feel that the GOP “powers that be” in CD-22 will now have to recognize that a potential player in the race as an independent is now avaliable for nomination as a Republican. I expect Stockman to announce his intent to secure DeLay’s place soon, and anticipate that we may see a number of “grassroots” Republicans in the district start lobbying for Stockman.

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