Larry Sabato looks at the political landscape and notes "the midterm elections represent a whole new ballgame. Not only is the DeLay matter more serious and prominent in the public mind than it has ever been, but the lack of a top-of-the-ticket presidential election in 2006 grants the actions of Congress a much higher level of media attention right off the bat."
For Democrats, the dilemma is whether it's best to turn up the heat on DeLay now, or keep him around as a poster boy for the midterm elections. In addition, they must balance polls that show growing disapproval of the Republican led Congress with Sabato's observation that "a paucity of competitive districts as a result of partisan redistricting means that it would take a national wave of near-1994 proportions to sweep Republicans out of their 29-seat majority."