Shelley Sekula-Gibbs

Last updated

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who had represented Sekula-Gibbs's area of residence since it was redistricted into DeLay's district (see 2003 Texas redistricting) and was under indictment for conspiracy charges, decided to retire from Congress instead of face a tough re-election campaign in the following November. [11] After DeLay's announcement, Sekula-Gibbs expressed interest in the position, but waited for DeLay to complete the official withdrawal procedure before filing her papers. [12]

On August 17, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs was selected as the endorsed Republican write-in candidate for District 22. [13] [14] A write-in candidate was necessary because the Republicans were unsuccessful in their efforts to replace DeLay's name on the ballot with another Republican's name. The courts ruled that replacing DeLay's name, especially after winning the state primary, violated Texas election laws. After the court defeat, DeLay chose to remove his name voluntarily from the ballot, essentially leaving the ballot without a Republican standard bearer. The precinct chairpersons voted to endorse one Republican for a write-in campaign. Four Republicans in all — Sekula-Gibbs, Tom Campbell, Tim Turner and David Wallace, the mayor of the Houston suburb of Sugar Land — expressed interest in the Republican endorsement of a write-in campaign. Two of Sekula-Gibbs' fellow Republican candidates, Campbell and Turner, decided to support Sekula-Gibbs in the general election immediately after her endorsement. [15] However, Wallace, who was the first to launch a write-in campaign for the seat, decided initially to continue his campaign without the backing of GOP leaders in the district, which would have made election to Congress difficult for Sekula-Gibbs. [16] In the end, Wallace dropped out of the race days after Sekula-Gibbs received the endorsement. [17] Sekula-Gibbs faced Democratic ex-congressman Nick Lampson and Libertarian Bob Smither.

The district is heavily Republican in both the eastern portion of the district (where Sekula-Gibbs' base is located) and in the western portion (where Wallace comes from). The main counties in the district, Fort Bend, Galveston and Brazoria voted 61% for Bush and 38.5% for Kerry and the remainder to a third-party candidate. [18] The district as a whole, including the sections of Harris that it covers, voted for Bush in 2004 with 64% of the vote. However, write-in candidates have historically failed to win in Texas, which made victory a challenge for Sekula-Gibbs. The Dallas Morning News noted that on the electronic machines used in District 22, voters would have to spell out any write-in candidate's name by using a wheel to move a cursor through the alphabet. [19] The race was one of the most competitive races in the country according to the National Journal. Two nonpartisan political reports, the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, rated the race as Leans Democratic and CQPolitics.com rated the race Leans Democratic. [20] Smither, the Libertarian candidate, has stated that "a vote for liberal Democrat Nick Lampson will be a vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House." Libertarian Ron Paul, 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for president, was a previous holder of the District 22 seat.

On October 30, 2006, a poll was released that was conducted by John Zogby and sponsored by the Houston Chronicle and KHOU, intended to gauge support for the various candidates in the district race. Sekula-Gibbs received support of 28 percent of respondents, compared to 36 percent support for Lampson, according to the poll of more than 500 likely voters in the 22nd Congressional District. [21]

On November 7, 2006, Sekula-Gibbs lost the general election for the seat to Democrat Nick Lampson, but won the special election to fulfill the remainder of former Representative Tom DeLay's term in the final session of the 109th Congress. [22]

Special election

Texas Governor Rick Perry announced on August 29, 2006, that a special election would take place for the unexpired term of Tom DeLay, coinciding with the general election on November 7, 2006. That meant that voters chose twice for the same race but with a different set of candidates (only Libertarian Bob Smither was on both ballots). It set up a scenario in which the constituents of District 22 sent one person to Washington for the last two months of the 109th Congress and a different person to Congress for the two years following. It also means that Sekula-Gibbs was on the ballot for the special election (but not the general election, in which she remained a write-in). Sekula-Gibbs filed for the special election and appeared on the ballot, as did Bob Smither; however, Lampson chose not to file. [23] [24] Sekula-Gibbs was asked if the special election would confuse voters. She replied, "People already know it's an unusual race." She also stated that having her name on one ballot would serve as "a memory jog." [25]

Sekula-Gibbs won the special election on November 7, 2006. [22]

On November 13, Sekula-Gibbs was sworn in for the vacant seat. She said she would use her brief time in Congress, "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq." [26] Her term expired on January 3, 2007, when Nick Lampson was sworn in to represent the district.

2008 congressional race

Sekula-Gibbs ran again for the Congressional seat in 2008. She won the first round with 29.72%--short of the majority needed to win the nomination outright. She advanced to a runoff in April against runner-up Pete Olson, a former aide to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. [27] [28] Sekula-Gibbs criticized Olson as "a Washington insider ... [who] moved here just six months ago to run." [29] Nevertheless, 12 of Texas's 19 Republican congressmen endorsed Olson in the primary. [30] Gibbs' campaign manager in the 2008 primary was conservative activist Clymer Wright, father of the municipal term limits movement in Houston. Olson won the April 8 runoff, taking 69 percent of the vote to Sekula-Gibbs' 31 percent. [31] [32] [33]

2019 The Woodlands Township board election

In July 2019, Sekula-Gibbs filed to run for The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, Position #5. She faced Walter C. Cooke, an attorney, and Rashmi Gupta. [34] She said that her focus, as a director, was going to be "flood mitigation, incorporation, traffic and mobility and parks and recreation". [35] [36] Sekula-Gibbs defeated Cooke and Gupta by receiving 48.43% of the vote, outpacing her nearest rival by nineteen percent. [37] She was sworn in as director on November 20, 2019. [38]

Personal life

Sekula-Gibbs has been married three times. The first time to Alan Greenberg, the second time to KHOU-TV newscaster Sylvan Rodriguez, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2000. Before his death, Rodriguez inspired Sekula-Gibbs to run for public office.

In June 2002, she married Robert W. Gibbs, Jr., former director of corporate community relations at Reliant Energy, and they live in The Woodlands, Texas. Sekula-Gibbs is the mother of two adult children. [39] She is a Roman Catholic.

See also

Related Research Articles

A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be possible to win an election by winning a sufficient number of such write-in votes, which count equally as if the person were formally listed on the ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Lampson</span> American politician (born 1945)

Nicholas Valentino Lampson is an American politician and restaurateur who is a former Democratic Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District and the 9th Congressional District of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Stockman</span> American politician (born 1956)

Stephen Ernest Stockman is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party and a convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997 and for Texas's 36th congressional district from 2013 to 2015. Stockman ran in the Republican primary for the United States Senate in the 2014 election but lost to incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bonilla</span> American journalist (born 1954)

Henry Bonilla is a former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Rodriguez, a former Democratic member of Congress, in a special election runoff held on December 12, 2006. His term expired January 3, 2007 when the 110th Congress officially began.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Bell (politician)</span> American politician (born 1959)

Robert Christopher Bell is an American politician, attorney, and former journalist. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and South Texas College of Law. Bell served five years on the Houston City Council from 1997 to 2001, followed by one term in the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 25th Congressional District in Houston from 2003 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States House of Representatives elections</span> House elections for the 110th U.S. Congress

The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 7, 2006, to elect members to the United States House of Representatives. It took place in the middle of President George W. Bush's second term in office. All 435 seats of the House were up for election. Those elected served in the 110th United States Congress from January 3, 2007, until January 3, 2009. The incumbent majority party, the Republicans, had won majorities in the House consecutively since 1994, and were defeated by the Democrats who won a majority in the chamber, ending 12 years of Republican control in the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas's 22nd congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Texas

Texas's 22nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a largely suburban southwestern portion of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. The district includes most of Fort Bend County, including most of the cities of Sugar Land, Rosenberg, Needville and the county seat of Richmond as well as the county's share of the largely unincorporated Greater Katy area west of Houston. In addition, the district also contains portions of northern Brazoria County, including most of Pearland and Alvin and all of Wharton and Matagorda counties, as well as a small portion of western Harris County centered on most of that county's share of the Greater Katy area.

David Gordon Wallace is an American businessman, politician, and author from the state of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Texas's 22nd congressional district elections</span> Elections for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives

The 2006 Texas 22nd congressional district election for the 110th Congress was held on November 7, 2006, and attracted considerable attention because this district was represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a prominent member of the Republican Party, who resigned after being indicted and subsequently winning the Republican primary. Because of Texas state law, Republicans, in order to hold on to the seat, would have had to win a write-in campaign, something that has only been done four other times in the history of U.S. congressional elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 2006 House elections in Texas

The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on November 7, 2006, to determine the 32 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas, one from each of the state's 32 congressional districts. These elections coincided with the 2006 midterm elections, which included a gubernatorial election and an election to the U.S. Senate.

Dean A. Hrbacek, CPA is an American attorney and Republican politician who served as the mayor of Sugar Land, Texas from 1996 to 2002. Before serving in that capacity, he served as a city council member. In 2008, he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in Texas's 22nd congressional district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 2008 House elections in Texas

The 2008 elections for the Texas delegation of the United States House of Representatives was held on November 4, 2008. 31 of 32 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation were contested. In Texas's 14th congressional district no one challenged incumbent Ron Paul. Since Representatives are elected for two-year terms, those elected will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011.

Melissa Meisgeier Noriega is a former member of the Houston City Council in Houston, Texas, having held At-Large Position 3. Noriega is an educator and civic leader in Houston and Harris County, Texas, as well as a former member of the Texas House of Representatives. She currently is part of the leadership team at BakerRipley, a community development non-profit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Olson</span> American politician (born 1962)

Peter Graham Olson is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 2009 to 2021. His district included much of southern Houston, as well as most of the city's southwestern suburbs such as Katy, Pearland, and Sugar Land. He is a member of the Republican Party. On July 25, 2019, Olson announced that he would retire at the end of his term. He was succeeded by fellow Republican Troy Nehls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Senate election in Texas</span>

The 2012 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 2012, along with other elections to the United States Senate the United States House of Representatives in additional states. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison decided to retire instead of running for reelection to a fourth full term. This was the first open seat in this seat since 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Dunbar</span> American politician

Cynthia Noland Dunbar is a Republican National Committee member for the U.S. state of Virginia who entered the 2018 race as a congressional candidate for the 6th Congressional District of Virginia. She was the state-co-chair for Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential primary race and a Texas Board of Education member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 2010 House elections in Texas

The 2010 U.S. congressional elections in Texas were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.

Clymer Lewis Wright Jr. was a Texas conservative political activist and journalist. He brought term limits to Houston municipal government and encouraged Ronald Reagan to run for president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 2012 House elections in Texas

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 36 U.S. representatives from the state of Texas—an increase of four seats in reapportionment following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election for the U.S. Senate. The primary election had been scheduled to be held on March 6, 2012, with a runoff election on May 22; because of problems arising from redistricting, the primary was postponed to May 29, and the run-off to July 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzie Fletcher</span> American politician (born 1975)

Elizabeth Ann Fletcher is an American attorney and politician from Texas. A Democrat, she has represented Texas's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. The district includes much of western Houston.

References

  1. ↑ "Medicine-graduate schools name 199 candidates". The Galveston Daily News. May 20, 1979.
  2. ↑ legacy.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=412185
  3. ↑ Sekula-Gibbs Congressional Swearing-In Scheduled - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Sekula-Gibbs to head to D.C., resign council seat, Houston Chronicle, November 8, 2006
  5. ↑ "Overdose". August 22, 2002.
  6. ↑
  7. 1 2 3 "The News of the Czech Center" (PDF). Czech Cultural Center. Fall–Winter 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 11, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  8. ↑ "University of Florida Health Science Center document" (PDF). Retrieved January 11, 2007.[ dead link ]
  9. ↑ "List of Mayors, Council and City Controllers" (PDF). City of Houston. January 15, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Noriega easily wins Houston council seat runoff". Chron. June 17, 2007.
  11. ↑ Weisman, Jonathan (August 9, 2006). "With DeLay Out, GOP Searches for Write-In Candidate". Washington Post. pp. A04. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  12. ↑ Robert, Garrett; Todd J. Gillman (August 9, 2006). "Mayor to be write-in for DeLay seat". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  13. ↑ Hanson, Eric (August 19, 2006). "Sekula-Gibbs picked as write-in candidate". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  14. ↑ Lozano, Juan A. (August 17, 2006). "Texas GOP Back Houston Councilwoman". Associated Press. Retrieved August 21, 2006.[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ Dunn, Bob (August 21, 2006). "Wallace Announces Decision Today; Campbell, Turner Pick Sekula-Gibbs". FortBendNow. Retrieved August 21, 2006.[ dead link ]
  16. ↑ Murphy, Bill; Matt Stiles (August 19, 2006). "Sekula-Gibbs faces big hurdles in 22nd bid". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  17. ↑ Dunn, Bob (August 21, 2006). "Wallace Ends Write-In Bid For Congress; Says He Won't Seek Re-election As Mayor". FortBendNow. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  18. ↑ "Election 2004: U.S. PRESIDENT/TEXAS/COUNTY RESULTS". CNN. November 4, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2006.
  19. ↑ Mayor to be write-in for DeLay seat Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ CQ Politics Ratings Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Write-in for DeLay spot has a shot" by Kristen Mack, Houston Chronicle, October 30, 2006 Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  22. 1 2 Giroux, Greg (November 8, 2006). "Sekula-Gibbs Wins (and Loses), Will Go to Congress (for Two Months)". Congressional Quarterly/The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  23. ↑ Ratcliffe, R.G. (August 29, 2006). "Perry sets November 7 as election day for DeLay's seat". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 29, 2006.
  24. ↑ Castro, April (August 29, 2006). "Special election to finish DeLay's term in Congress set Nov. 7". Associated Press. Retrieved August 29, 2006.[ dead link ]
  25. ↑ Blumenthal, Ralph (August 30, 2006). "Governor Gives Contest to Replace DeLay a New Twist". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  26. ↑ Washington Post, November 15, 2006
  27. ↑ "2008 Republican Party Primary Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State's Office. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
  28. ↑ Bernstein, Alan (March 5, 2008). "Congressional District 22: Sekula Gibbs, Olson set up runoff battle for House seat". Houston Chronicle .
  29. ↑ "Olson Wins Run-Off Elections". Fox 26. April 8, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  30. ↑ Bernstein, Alan (March 6, 2008). "A congressional chorus backs Olson in 22nd District runoff". Texas on the Potomac. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  31. ↑ Kraushaar, Josh (April 8, 2008). "Olson Wins Texas Runoff, Will Face Lampson". CBS News . Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  32. ↑ Blake, Aaron (April 8, 2008). "Olson tops Sekula Gibbs in Texas runoff". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  33. ↑ CQ Politics | Texas GOP Runoff Goes to Ex-Senate Aide in Race for DeLay's Old Seat Archived October 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ↑ November 5, 2019 Election, The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, Candidates in Ballot Order, The Woodlands Township. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  35. ↑ Forward, Jeff. Veteran Republican Sekula-Gibbs seeks Woodlands board seat, The Courier of Montgomery County , July 26, 2019.
  36. ↑ Forward, Jeff. Local attorney Cooke vying to replace McMullan on Woodlands board, The Courier of Montgomery County , July 26, 2019.
  37. ↑ Bruse, Jennifer. Unofficial 2019 Election Results, Hello The Woodlands, November 6, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Agendas, minutes, and more (November 2019)". The Woodlands Township . November 2019. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  39. ↑ Sekula-Gibbs Campaign website Archived October 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs
Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.jpg
Member of the Board of Directors
of The Woodlands Township
Assumed office
November 20, 2019
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the  U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district
November 13, 2006 – January 3, 2007		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas former U.S. Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as former U.S. Representative		Succeeded byas former U.S. Representative
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.