2006 Texas's 22nd congressional district elections

2006 Texas's 22nd congressional district election

← 2004 November 7, 2006 2008 →
 
Nominee Nick Lampson Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
(write-in)
Bob Smither
Party Democratic Republican Libertarian
Popular vote 76,775 61,938 9,009
Percentage 51.8% 41.8% 6.1%

County results
Lampson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. Representative before election

Tom DeLay
Republican

Elected U.S. Representative

Nick Lampson
Democratic

2006 ballot for the general election

The 2006 Texas 22nd congressional district election for the 110th Congress was held on November 7, 2006, and attracted considerable attention because this district was represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a prominent member of the Republican Party, who resigned after being indicted and subsequently winning the Republican primary. Because of Texas state law (and court rulings interpreting it), Republicans, in order to hold on to the seat, would have had to win a write-in campaign, something that has only been done four other times in the history of U.S. congressional elections.

There were actually two elections held in the district on November 7: a special election to fill DeLay's vacant seat which expired in January 2007, and a general election which was for a two-year term starting in January 2007.

In the special election, there were five candidates—four RepublicansShelley Sekula-Gibbs, Don Richardson, former US Representative Steve Stockman and Giannibecego Hoa Tran, and one Libertarian, Bob Smither. The Democrats were not represented with a candidate. Sekula-Gibbs won that race with approximately 63 percent of the vote and was sworn in as a Member of Congress on November 13, 2006.

In the general election there were three main candidates. Democrat and former US Representative Nick Lampson, Libertarian Party candidate Bob Smither, and Republican Sekula-Gibbs. Only Lampson's and Smither's names appeared on the ballot, as Shelley Sekula-Gibbs had to run as a write-in candidate because DeLay had previously won the Republican primary. In this race, Lampson captured 52% of the vote, to Sekula-Gibbs' 42%, and Smither collected 6%.