AUSTIN – Brushing aside the Republican Party of Texas's arguments, Travis County District Judge Margaret Cooper ruled today that Bill Dingus is eligible to run for State Representative against Speaker Tom Craddick.

"It's a victory for democracy in West Texas," Dingus said. "Now that the leaders of the Republican Party have failed to knock me off the ballot, we can focus on answering a fundamental question: Which candidate will bring change to the Texas House?"

Previously, attorneys for the Republican Party of Texas had argued that Dingus was ineligible to run because he was still serving on the Midland City Council when he filed for State Representative.

However, Dingus's attorney, Renea Hicks, argued successfully that the Midland Democrat would be ineligible only if his term on the Midland City Council overlapped with his potential term in the Texas House. Because Dingus resigned from the council in April and his replacement will be elected in July, the two terms will not overlap, Hicks said.

"I'm ecstatic that the legal sparring is behind us and we can start talking about supporting our local public schools, making health care more accessible and affordable, getting rid of the new taxes on small businesses, and stopping the Trans-Texas Corridor," Dingus said. "It's time for practical solutions, not partisan politics."

[Okay, so I hate the whole Toll road corruption ponzi scheme Rick Perry, et. all, have initiated, so supporting the enemy of my enemy isn't such a bad thing... MJ]