WASHINGTON — The contest to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) as House majority leader appeared to shape up as a two-man race Monday, as Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and another possible contender announced they would not run for the powerful No. 2 position.
That apparently leaves the field to two senior Republicans -- Roy Blunt of Missouri and John A. Boehner of Ohio -- to compete for support from fellow House Republicans, who will choose DeLay's successor in a secret ballot election the week of Jan. 30.
There is a chance that another candidate may yet enter the race because there are a large number of undecided lawmakers, including some who think neither Blunt nor Boehner offers the fresh face they believe the party needs to distance itself from a recent spate of scandals.
Indeed, two lawmakers who had called for DeLay's departure urged their colleagues Monday to refrain from public commitments in the contest, saying no candidates had yet fully addressed their demand for broader institutional reforms, such as elimination of pork-barrel projects.
"Elections that appear to be foregone conclusions do not advance the reformist agenda many of us pledged to uphold to our constituents," Reps. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Charles Bass (R-N.H.) said in a letter to their colleagues.
Still, the likelihood of a three-way race diminished, as no other candidate emerged and Blunt and Boehner moved aggressively to build support -- mostly by telephone, because Congress is in recess and lawmakers are spread around the country.
The stakes in this succession struggle are high. The GOP is trying to recover from a rocky 2005, which saw the indictment of DeLay on campaign finance-related charges in Texas and the plea agreement of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff on corruption charges.
"This is a defining moment for House Republicans," said Lewis, who announced Monday he would remain as House Appropriations Committee chairman rather than run for majority leader. "The decision we make in filling the position of majority leader will largely determine our ability to remain as the governing majority in the House of Representatives."
The winner of the contest to succeed DeLay may also be in line soon to rise to the House's No. 1 leadership post, because House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is expected to retire after 2008.
DeLay, who temporarily stepped down as leader in September after he was indicted, announced Saturday that he had given up his hopes of returning to the post once his legal issues were resolved.
