Rep. Terri Hodge (D-Dallas) faces federal corruption charges, accused of accepting bribes from developer Brian Potashnik in exchange for her support of his low-income housing projects.

The Dallas Morning News reports the date for that trial has been set for: March 8, 2009, the Monday after the March 2 primary.

So the question now is: If Hodge wins the primary against Dallas lawyer Eric Johnson and then is convicted for taking bribes, can the State Democratic Executive Committee send in a pinch hitter?

If the answer is no, this certainly would give Johnson a new selling point, namely: he won't put HD 100 -- a strongly Democratic district -- at risk of being represented by (horrors!) a Republican. But as of yet no Republican has stepped up in the district. And there is also question of whether Hodge could be conclusively rendered ineligible to serve even if she’s convicted in federal court, or if ineligibility would not take hold until the appeals process, which would likely take years, is exhausted. Then there's the question of whether, if she's convicted, some in the House may move to expell her.