In this early mid-term primary, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay easily defeated his three challengers.

Opponent Tom Campbell, former general counsel for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, fell short of forcing the former House majority leader into a runoff.

DeLay won 62 percent of the vote in the 22nd Congressional District, which covers parts of Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Galveston counties, according to the totals from 97 percent of precincts.

“I have always placed my faith in the voters, and today’s vote shows they have placed their full faith in me,” DeLay said in a written victory statement. “This race was about who can effectively represent the values and the priorities of the people in this district, and I’m proud to have earned, and overwhelmingly kept, that trust among Republican voters.”

His battle in November will be against Democrat Nick Lampson, Steve Stockman who is seeking a spot on the ballot as an independent, and a still to be chosen Libertarian Party candidate.

First DeLay will have his day in court facing partisan hack prosecutor Ronnie Earle’s Grand Jury-shopped charges.