SAN ANTONIO, June 4 (UPI) -- Eight candidates looking for the party nod to replace Rep. Tom DeLay mixed it up with those who will make the choice at the Texas Republican Convention.
DeLay, who will resign from Congress Friday tainted with scandal and an upcoming ethics trial, did not attend the convention, The Houston Chronicle reports.
Although DeLay's replacement on the ballot won't be chosen at the convention, eight of the people vying for the job worked the hundreds of state party faithful in hopes of currying enough favor for the job.
The candidates included two state representatives and one state senator, a Houston councilwoman, the mayor of Sugar Land, Texas, a lawyer, a retired state executive committee member and a retired Air Force major.
One person from each of the four counties that make up the state's 22nd Congressional District will decide who will face Nick Lampson, the Democratic Party challenger who raised millions of dollars when he thought he'd be facing DeLay, the newspaper said.
Despite the allegations against him, DeLay is revered in Texas Republican Party circles as the engineer of a redistricting plan that empowered them in the state.
His downfall is attributed to the various workings of the Democratic Party, adding even more incentives to pick the right replacement.
Convention Delegate John Hughey said he wants a passionate and articulate replacement, adding "I don't know who will be anointed, but whoever it is, we will bust our butt for them."
