Texas dermatologist running for Congress

If enough Houston-area residents can type "Sekula-Gibbs," there will be another doctor in the House.

By Doug Trapp, AMNews staff. Oct. 23/30, 2006.

Washington -- Normally, voting twice for a candidate on the same day would be illegal. But the race for Tom DeLay's former seat in Congress is anything but normal.

DeLay ended his campaign for Texas' 22nd congressional district earlier this year after being indicted and publicly linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But DeLay withdrew too late to have his name removed from the November ballot.

Enter dermatologist Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, MD, a three-term Houston City Council member. A few years ago, Dr. Sekula-Gibbs had briefly entertained the idea of running for Congress, but DeLay had been the 22nd district's representative since 1984.

All that changed last summer when DeLay resigned. Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered a special election for DeLay's seat to be held on Nov. 7, the same day as the general election. By the end of August, Dr. Sekula-Gibbs had convinced the Republican Party she was the right choice.

Dr. Sekula-Gibbs is both a candidate to temporarily fill DeLay's seat until January and a candidate for the full 2007-08 term. Her name appears on the ballot for the special election. But because of DeLay's late withdrawal, it doesn't appear on the general election ballot, so supporters will have to write in her name.

Dr. Sekula-Gibbs, one of several doctors running for Congress, was the first in her family to graduate from college, let alone medical school. She grew up in rural Floresville, Texas. Her father worked in the oil fields for Shell.