Pete Olson defeated fellow Republican Shelly Sekula-Gibbs in last night's Texas primary race, ensuring his bid to unseat Rep. Nick Lampson, Texas Democrat, in the 22nd district.

Olson (pictured at right), a Naval Reserve officer and former chief of staff for Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, defeated Sekula-Gibbs by a margin of nearly 69 to 31 percent this despite Sekula-Gibbs's fundraising advantage.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans' campaign arm, labeled Lampson "one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress."

Lampson defeated Sekula-Gibbs in 2006 after she was chosen to fill the remainder of former Rep. Tom Delay's term. Lampson won in 2006 by a margin of 52 percent to 42 percent, and President Bush defeated John Kerry in the 22nd district by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent.

Update: A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee writes in to give her perspective.

"Congressman Lampson has proven himself as an independent, effective leader for his district this past year, often bucking his party for the good of southeast Texas," DCCC spokeswoman Kyra Jennings wrote in an email to The Washington Times. "His bipartisan efforts on issues like NASA funding and border security and strong relationships in his community have put Congressman Lampson in a strong position to win re-election in November."

— Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times