http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/...ion/index.html
"I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative personal campaign," DeLay said in a video announcement released Tuesday, a few hours after the news broke of his decision.
DeLay, 58, had been expected to wage a vigorous fight for his House seat against former Rep. Nick Lampson, a Democrat who lost his seat in an adjacent district in 2004. Lampson's loss came after DeLay and his allies pushed a controversial reapportionment plan through the Texas Legislature that made Lampson's district more Republican.