The Beginning Of The End For Tom DeLay

Roll Call reports that GOP members have formally begun the process to call for an election to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay as Majority Leader:

A small group of mostly moderate House Republican lawmakers will circulate a petition this afternoon calling for new leadership elections to be held when the chamber returns for the second session of the 109th Congress, marking the formal start of the process for potentially choosing a permanent Majority Leader to replace indicted Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

The "Dear Colleague" letter, which is being spearheaded by centrist Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) and conservative Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), will be sent later today to House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (Ohio.).

All hell is about to break loose.  Deeper analysis to follow. 

More Roll Call:

 "I can confirm that Congressman Bass along with Congressman Flake are organizing a formal petition calling for a special election to elect permanent representatives for any vacant leadership positions," said Bass spokeswoman Alissa Southworth.

Bass and Flake both already have publicly called for new leadership elections to be held. Sources said the petition already has the signatures of roughly a half-dozen other Republican lawmakers, most of them moderates like Bass.

Under the party's internal rules, it will take 50 signatures to force the convening a Conference meeting to discuss the subject, and a majority of lawmakers at the meeting would then have to vote in favor of holding elections in order for one to occur.

Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) also could choose to call for a new set of elections, or DeLay could announce that he is permanently stepping down from his post, creating an official vacancy that would automatically trigger an election.

The possibility that new elections would be held has existed since Sept. 28, when DeLay was indicted by a Texas grand jury and stepped down from the Majority Leader post. Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has held the title on a temporary basis since then.

If elections are held Blunt is expected to run for the Majority Leader post, as is Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio). Current Chief Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) would then run to fill Blunt's Whip position, as could a handful of other lawmakers.