Texas State Rep. Resigns: Connection to Delay

Texas State Rep. Todd Baxter announced his resignation today. This is shocking considering how hard his campaign fought to gain that seat. It appears corruption in the Republican Party flows down to every level. Baxter received funds from Delay's money laundering service. Here is the story and here is an excerpt:

Baxter received money from the Republican National Committee, which has been at the heart of the recent indictments of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. DeLay and his associates are accused of laundering the money through the Republican group to illegally funnel corporate money to seven Texas legislative candidates, including Baxter.

Baxter was not charged with any wrongdoing.

The Texas Association of Business, which, like DeLay, is under indictment for its involvement in the 2002 elections, also paid for advertisements attacking Baxter's opponent, former Rep. Ann Kitchen, in 2002.

"Probably Todd saw the writing on the wall and the Republican establishment, my assumption is, moved in and said, 'Mr. Baxter, you're not going to win this race and so let's put somebody in there that doesn't have the baggage you have,' " said Chris Elliott, chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party. "But any candidate they put in there, Ben Bentzin or whoever else, is going to be a product of the same Republican establishment that has been inept in the way they run this state."