First elected to the House in 1990, Boehner was among the junior back-benchers who teamed up with Gingrich, then a Georgia congressman, to wrest control of the House from the Democrats, who had held the leadership for four decades. In recent years, he has immersed himself in committee work and helped shape President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Blunt, 55, was first elected in 1996 and rose rapidly to the post of majority whip with DeLay's help. His son, Matt, is governor of Missouri. Although he may seem to have the inside track because he is already acting leader, Blunt's close relationship with DeLay could prove to be a handicap.
On Sunday, after Boehner had declared his candidacy, Blunt sent his own letter to colleagues.
"Unfortunately, the recent scandals have caused some to question whether we have lost our vision and whether the faith they placed in us is justified," he wrote. "While I have no doubt that it is, it will be difficult to move forward with our platform until we regain the trust and confidence of our constituents by enacting new lobbying reforms and enhanced penalties for those who break the public trust."
Blunt announced last week he was donating to charity $8,500 in campaign contributions linked to Abramoff. A watchdog group, the Center for Responsive Politics, has reported that Boehner received $32,500 in contributions from tribes represented by Abramoff. But Boehner's spokesman, Don Seymour, said Sunday that the congressman was not aware of any connections with the lobbyist.
Times staff writers Janet Hook and Mary Curtius contributed to this report.
