06:46 PM CDT on Thursday, April 6, 2006

From 11 News Staff Reports

Nick Lampson, Democratic nominee for Tom DeLay's soon-to-be-vacated seat in the U.S. House tried to hold a news conference Thursday at 10 a.m. on the steps of Sugar Land's City Hall. But as soon as he stepped to the microphone, he was swarmed by approximately 30 DeLay supporters who all but prevented him from speaking.

KHOU-TV

A Tom DeLay supporter displays an anti-Lampson sign at Thursday's Sugar Land news conference.

11 News discovered evidence from DeLay's team that asked Republican supporters to disrupt Lampson's event.

It began like any other news conference.

"I'm here to call on the governor and Tom DeLay to do the right thing,' said Lampson.

But as Democratic nominee Nick Lampson called for a special May election to fill the resigning congressman's seat, things began to go awry.

"Even in his resignation there is corruption," Lampson said of DeLay.

Suddenly, the Lampson camp found itself swarming with DeLay supporters.

"We do not want a Democrat in this area," said DeLay supporter Vera Kuhn.

All the while the Democrat struggled to talk above the roar.

"I think it shows the kind of thing DeLay said he doesn't want, and this is coming from his camp," Lampson said.

"I have no comment on who organized this," said DeLay supporter Leonard Cash.

Turns out, DeLay's campaign manager is largely responsible. He admits sending an e-mail urging DeLay supporters to give Lampson a parting shot that wrecks his press conference.

When asked if he had written an e-mail that read 'Let's give Lampson a parting shot that wrecks his press conference', "We absolutely were interested in bringing out Republican activists to that press conference and letting Mr. Lampson know they don't appreciate him being a liberal from Beaumont. That is my e-mail where I was contacting Republican activists," said Chris Homa, DeLay Campaign Mgr.

While it was mostly a war of words, several women at the event in support of Lampson said that they were pushed and shoved by male DeLay supporters.

One woman says she was assaulted by two different men, and that she's considering filing charges

At the news conference Lampson called for DeLay to step down before June and claimed that the delay in his departure is orchestrated so that he can influence his possible successor. DeLay supporters countered that the congressman should be allowed to step down when he feels it is appropriate.