DeLay says departure disrupts Dems' strategy

Wed Jun 7, 7:08 AM ET

Rep. Tom DeLay said Tuesday that his decision to quit the House he once helped lead may keep Republicans in the majority.

The former House majority leader, speaking in the near-empty office he will vacate Friday, was a favorite target of Democrats, who made his legal troubles the centerpiece of a campaign accusing Republicans of a "culture of corruption."

DELAY'S DEPARTURE: Lawmaker asserts innocence

DeLay, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, told USA TODAY his departure "makes it very difficult for them to continue that strategy."

Democrats don't disagree. The party's most senior House member, John Dingell of Michigan, said: "It will be helpful to Democrats if he were to stay. ... We will miss him."

DeLay was an effective but controversial leader, helping Republicans take control of the House in 1994 after 40 years of Democratic rule and expanding their majority by raising money for candidates and delivering votes for legislative victories. He was admonished five times since 1997 by the House ethics committee for his tactics.

He said he will beat a charge that he illegally arranged for corporate campaign contributions to go to Texas legislative races. A Texas grand jury's indictment forced him to step down from his leadership post.

The savvy politician, whose ability to count votes was well known, said he was taken aback when he won the Republican primary in March with 63% of the vote.

"That's not good enough," he said, estimating it would have cost up to $5 million to get re-elected to the suburban Houston seat he first won in 1984.

He plans to make speeches to augment his congressional pension, which Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union estimated will be $59,000 a year.

DeLay said he has received "heartwarming" support since announcing his departure, including a visit from liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio.

To disqualify himself from the Texas ballot, DeLay switched his legal address to Virginia. Republicans could begin picking a new candidate as early as next week. Three Texas legislators and a mayor - all conservatives - are among the top contenders.

Former representative Nick Lampson, a Democrat, has raised more than $2 million, but both parties say his task will be harder without DeLay as his target. "It's a very tough fight," said Matt Angle of the Democratic Lone Star Project.

Besides advocating support for conservative causes and Israel, DeLay also plans to continue fundraising for a community of foster children that he and his wife established.

He's not ruling out a return to politics: In April, he got 10 write-in votes for mayor of his new hometown, Alexandria, Va. "I'm only 59," he said.

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