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Christianity Today's coverage of this year's election includes profiles of John Kerry and George W. Bush. For the rest of this week, we will highlight other campaigns and issues to be decided this election season.

Texas Republican Tom DeLay, the House majority leader renowned as "The Hammer" of the Christian Right in Congress, is facing both trial and tribulation as the November election draws nigh. DeLay is known for his fierce partisanship, outspoken conservatism, and effective fundraising. He is one of Israel's strongest defenders in the House and regularly receives a 100 percent voting score from the Christian Coalition.

In 20 years as a U.S. congressman, DeLay has consistently won with upwards of 60 percent of the vote. The 10-term incumbent represents Sugar Land in Houston's prosperous southwest and is often labeled the third-most-powerful man in Washington.

But ethical quandaries, including an inquiry by the House ethics committee and a criminal investigation of his Texas-based political action committee, are likely to shrink his typically wide margin of victory.

In July, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct announced it was reviewing accusations brought by Democratic Rep. Chris Bell of Houston that DeLay illegally solicited campaign donations in return for legislative action—a violation of House bribery laws.

The committee announced in late September that it remains deadlocked on whether to launch a formal investigation. Bell was defeated in the Texas Democratic primary after a remapping plan that DeLay championed redrew his district. Bell, who is finishing out his term, lodged the complaint after his primary loss. However, the House ethics committee said yesterday, September 30, that DeLay acted improperly when he solicited a "yes" vote from Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) on a recent Medicare bill. DeLay said he would endorse the House candidacy of Smith's son in return for a favorable vote on the Medicare bill.

Bell alleges that DeLay sought and received contributions from Westar Energy executives in return for a chance to influence energy legislation. His three-count complaint also accuses DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (TRMPAC) of laundering illegal corporate contributions in order to influence state-level Texas legislative races.

DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella dismissed the allegations as election-year politics. "This is a campaign to demonize a very strong conservative leader who is successful and delivers" for his constituents. Also, a Texas grand jury recently indicted three DeLay aides for alleged trmpac violations of state laws banning corporate donations for individual candidates running for state office. "This isn't about Tom DeLay," Ronnie Earle, a Democrat and Travis County district attorney, told the Austin American-Statesman. "It's about corporate greed. They can always find another Tom DeLay."

The ethics cloud has helped to bolster DeLay's Democratic rival. "A lot of Republicans are telling me that while they're still voting for Bush, they say they cannot support DeLay anymore," challenger Richard Morrison said. An environmental trial lawyer, Morrison is heartened by a July Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee-sponsored poll putting him 10 points behind DeLay.

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News elsewhere about DeLay's ethics probe includes:

Ethics panel rebukes DeLay | Majority leader offered favor to get peer's vote (Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2004)

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September (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48