Texas 22nd: The Republican Race?

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The constituency of Texas 22nd is known for its heavy republican support. No other party has been able to hold office in the constituency, the way Republicans have. 52 percent of poll respondents identified themselves as Republicans, 32 percent as Democrats and 16 percent as independent. The district is dominated by Houston's heavily Republican western and southern suburbs, stretching from Sugar Land and Missouri City in the west and traveling eastward to portions of Pearland and Pasadena, all the way to the NASA Johnson Space Center, Clear Lake City, and Ellington Field. The constituency is said to have played a major role in voting George W. Bush over John Kerry by a 2 to 1 (66%-33%) margin, more than any other district that fell to the Democrats in 2006. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of 15 in favor of the Republicans.
The district is again contesting for election. It remains to be seen whether the seat will be retained by Democrats as of now or will be taken over by Republicans. Currently represented by the Democrat Nick Lampson, the race is contested by many known names. This includes Dean Hrbacek (R) - Former Councilman and Mayor of Sugar Land among many others. Dean Hrbacek is also a business attorney, board certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and a Certified Public Accountant. With the presence of such strong contenders, the chances of Lampson winning are doubted. The democrat Lampson is a heart patient and has undergone quadruple bypass surgery. He is expected to face a stiff competition from the republicans.
As per the conservative columnist Robert Novak, there are at least a few House seats that were won by Democrats in 2006 ‘solely because of GOP corruption,’ and that such seats would be ‘the most likely to return to the Republican column in 2008.’ He qualifies this by noting that in previous elections, major House gains by either party have always been followed by losses in the next election. So it remains to be seen if this holds true and the race is held by the republicans.