Who Will Replace Tom DeLay?

Lynch: It's Anybody's Guess Who Will Emerge As Majority Leader

(CBS)  Dotty Lynch is CBSNews.com's Political Points columnist. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points

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Republican sources are saying that the race for Majority Leader is "wide open." The front-runners are Rep. Roy Blunt, who has been the acting Majority Leader, and Rep. John Boehner although others may get into the race. Rep. Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent who was close to DeLay, is another potential contender.

Hotline’s On Call has interesting reports on both Rogers and Boehner, who both issued statements soon after DeLay's announcement:

Rep. Mike Rogers' (R-MI) came first, at 12:38, calling DeLay "a leader who has consistently put the Conference before himself," and adding that "his announcement today exemplifies that quality."

Rep. John Boehner's (R-OH) missive came 17 minutes later, and, perhaps in an effort to put some distance between himself and the indicted DeLay, noted that he and the ex-Leader "have had our differences over the years. But not wanting to totally kick a man while he is down, Boehner added that DeLay had been on of the GOP's "most effective and gifted leaders."

A Republican source close to Blunt said that if the White House weighs in, it would help Blunt, but it is unclear that the White House wants to get in the middle of this fight. Blunt has had to be careful over the last few months in not appearing to push DeLay aside and has received some criticism for lacking strong leadership qualities. With DeLay out of the way, Blunt can become more aggressive but there are so many players and variables at play right now that it is anybody’s guess who will emerge.