Jolly old Saint Nick bearing gifts might eventually give way to Uncle Sam hitting you up for tax money.

As tickets for the inauguration of the nation's first African-American president have been high in demand nationwide, requests have even piled up in heavily Republican Texas, officials said.

Of the 250,000 tickets to watch President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in outside of the Capitol, senators are expected to receive 350 while state representatives will receive 198 in addition to the tickets given to Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, officials said.

Requests at the office of Congressman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, exceeded 350 within a week of the election, according to staffers.

Open seats on influential committees will be grabbing much of the attention at the House Republican Conference reorganization meeting that starts on Wednesday.

Before the election, some congressional observers were predicting a slew of challengers to vie for House GOP leadership positions. And while there are a couple of leadership races under way, they have lacked much intrigue.

It looks like not even the best car salesman could persuade Big Country lawmakers to back a federal bailout for automakers.

Mike Conaway is getting back to his normal routine. First up on Wednesday morning a visit to Gonzales Elementary School to talk to students, but despite his big win on Tuesday night, Barack Obama's victory is weighing on him.

"Life goes on, yesterday was a huge day, a lot of disappointment but a lot of excitement," Mike Conaway, U.S. Rep. Dist. 11, said.

And with excitement is how Conaway plans to battle in Washington D.C.

Picking up easy wins were Mike Conaway (U.S. Representative, District 11) and Kel Seliger (Texas Senate, District 31).

With 362 of the 390 precincts reporting, Conaway had picked up 175,561 (88.4 percent) of the 198,523 votes cast. He was running against Libertarian John R. Strohm. Conaway picked up 85.6 percent of the vote in Tom Green County (San Angelo) and 88.5 percent of the vote in Ector County (Odessa).

11th District U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway made a stop in Sweetwater on Friday afternoon for a town hall meeting and a tour of area wind farms.

The Republican congressman first addressed the issue of the economy.

The editorial board recommends that voters give Conaway another two-year term representing Texas' 11th congressional district, which includes 36 counties in Central and West Texas. Conaway, a certified public accountant, brings a common-sense approach to Washington and represents his district on the House Agriculture, Armed Services, and Budget committees.

We look forward to Conaway continuing to work hard for West Texas and would like to see him press for real answers to our nation's healthcare crisis.

With the National Republican Congressional Committee facing an historic cash shortfall less than three weeks before Election Day, U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Midland) is taking the initiative in driving funds into the party’s coffers.