Democrats weigh 2006 challenge to DeLay.

Democrats, who often ignored Rep. Tom DeLay's Republican-leaning district, see a political opening in 2006 now that the House Majority leader faces ethics questions and dismay over his intervention in the Terri Schiavo case.

In past elections, the Republican who won his House seat in 1984 has coasted to victory, often with more than 60 percent of the vote. Last November he won by 55-41 percent.

This week, a Houston Chronicle poll in the district found that 49 percent said they would vote for someone else. That number has sparked the most interest in a Democratic primary in the district in years.

(4-7-05, AP.)