I knew that the folks in D.C. were going to be surprised and some were going to be chagrined. But it's not all that uncommon here in Texas.

The speaker is weaker today than he was a week ago.

What we're seeing right now is kind of a groundswell, for lack of a better word, of pro-education candidates challenging Republicans.

That's absolutely correct. The district is traditionally a Republican district and it would take something unusual to shift them out of that column. A scandal-ridden congressman is the major hope for Lampson.

You could have a dramatically different House of Representatives - one that's far more independent of the leadership than currently exists.

It takes out a big organizing force. He was really a centerpiece in terms of fundraising, and he was an ideological anchor, and, obviously, as the majority leader in Congress had a major ripple effect on the flow of money to Texas.