WASHINGTON - Republican state Rep. Randy Weber on Tuesday defeated former five-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, who waged an uphill battle to return to Capitol Hill from a third congressional district in 16 years. <\/p>\n
Weber succeeds retiring Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, an iconic, 13-term lawmaker who pursued the GOP presidential nomination three times over the last 24 years. <\/p>\n
Weber, 59, of Alvin, owner of an air conditioning firm, defeated Lampson in the 14th Congressional District stretching southeast from Houston to the Gulf Coast. <\/p>\n
Weber's victory was bolstered in part by the statewide landslide for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who swept 58 percent of Texas' vote. <\/p>\n
In San Antonio, an upset was brewing with one-term Republican Rep. Francisco \"Quico\" Canseco, R-San Antonio, narrowly trailing 20-year state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, in a $4 million contest that was expected to be decided late. <\/p>\n
More than 13.6 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots at the 9,150 polling places across the Lone Star State, Secretary of State Hope Andrade said. <\/p>\n
Voters in the Houston area largely ignored virulent anti-Congress sentiment to return nine tried-and-true House incumbents to Capitol Hill and send former Republican House member Steve Stockman back to Washington for the first time in 16 years to represent a new congressional district northeast of Houston. <\/p>\n
\"Tonight, the voters said they wanted to go in a direction that will put our country on the right track and restore conservative principles to Washington,\" Weber said in a victory statement. \"That is what I will do, we will do it together.\" <\/p>\n
Lampson congratulated Weber. \"We waged a tough campaign,\" Lampson said. \"I have always tried to be there for the people and communities that I represent. And while this may not be the end of the story, it is the end of a chapter.\" <\/p>\n
Early winners included Reps. Ted Poe, R-Humble; John Culberson, R-Houston; Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands; Al Green, D-Houston; Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston; Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land; Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi; and Gene Green, D-Houston. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the article here: WASHINGTON - Republican state Rep. Continue reading
\nGOP Rep. Weber leads Lampson in race to succeed Ron Paul<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"