Blowback, Texas-Style

Eric Dondero, who commented on some of last night's debate threads, has made an announcement at Redstate.

I am this morning, declaring my candidacy for Congress in the GOP primaries against Ron Paul. If he does not resign his seat, and if another Republican candidate does not declare against him, I will run a balls-to-the-wall campaign for Congress in Texas CD 14.

I am the guy that got Ron Paul elected to Congress in 1996. I can and will defeat him in 2008.

Eric Dondero, Fmr. Senior Aide
US Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX)
1997-2003

Dondero says he'll defer if another pro-war conservative, like former Rep. Steve Stockman, makes the run. Paul's 1996 win was sort of miraculous, given how the national GOP marshalled its strength against him and even backed a Democratic opponent to keep him out of Congress. I'd guess the party will have too much to worry about in 2008 to back a Paul primary challenge (it'll spend at least $3 million getting back Tom DeLay's seat, for example), but this is the kind of thing that could attract a nice fat stream of web donations.

Prediction: The overlap between people who thought the Democrats were wrong to purge Joe Lieberman and people who think the GOP would be right to purge Ron Paul will be around 100 percent.