House GOP Seeks New Direction
Blunt, Boehner Vie to Lead a Nervous Party
Roll Call Staff
Saturday’s decision by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to give up his claim on the post of Majority Leader set off the biggest weekend of House GOP leadership campaigning in seven years, with Reps. Roy Blunt (Mo.) and John Boehner (Ohio) immediately launching bids to succeed DeLay in the chamber’s No. 2 position.
With lawmakers still scattered across the country, Boehner, Blunt and the lone confirmed candidate to succeed Blunt as Majority Whip — Chief Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) — spent Saturday and Sunday furiously dialing their colleagues, hoping to lock down early support for votes that won’t take place until the first week of February.
The first order of business will be the Feb. 2 Blunt-Boehner contest for Majority Leader — a matchup of two veteran lawmakers, and skilled vote-counters, that observers from other Republican offices predicted would be hard-fought but too fluid to handicap yet.
GOP Reps. Mike Pence (Ind.), John Shadegg (Ariz.) and Jerry Lewis (Calif.) all made calls over the weekend to gauge whether they should jump into the Majority Leader contest as well. But as of Sunday evening, none had taken the leap, and several Republican sources expressed doubts that any of the three would actually run.
Boehner, an ex-Republican Conference chairman who currently holds the Education and the Workforce Committee gavel, formally entered the race just after noon on Sunday.
“Today I’ve decided to run for Majority Leader and ask my colleagues for their support,” Boehner said in a statement. “We need a Conference with the courage and confidence to tackle our nation’s problems. ... I want to provide leadership that gives every member a voice in developing a common vision for how we will lead the Congress and restore a sense of trust among members, our leaders, and the American people.”
Blunt, who has served as temporary Majority Leader in addition to holding the Whip title since DeLay was indicted in September, followed with his own public statement in the form of a “Dear Colleague” letter Sunday afternoon.
“Tom DeLay put it best when he reminded us that as a unified team, our Republican Conference is unstoppable,” Blunt wrote. “I am writing to you today to request your support for my candidacy for House Majority Leader.”
In making their announcements, both men voiced conservative themes, calling for fiscal responsibility and policies that encouraged freedom and security. Blunt also chose to address the story that has dominated headlines over the past week and helped prompt the leadership race: disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s guilty plea for conspiracy to bribe public officials, fraud and tax evasion.
“Unfortunately, the recent scandals have caused some to question whether we have lost our vision and whether the faith they have placed in us is justified,” Blunt said. “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 aides said the thrust of their message will be to emphasize their man’s proven record of success both as Majority Whip and, in the past few months, as Majority Leader.
“Being temporary Majority Leader really was a test of his leadership, and he came through with flying colors,” argued a Blunt ally, admitting that his operation “had some bumps in the road,” such as the postponement of some key votes, but pointing out that the last weeks of 2005 included passage of a host of sweeping, difficult bills.
House Energy and Commerce Committee: Henry Waxman in His Element
March 15, 12 a.m.
In his 36-year Congressional career, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has developed a reputation as a master legislator — someone whose balance of principle and pragmatism has allowed him to amass a long slate of legislative victories in all kinds of different political climates. Read Full Article
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