WASHINGTON – Rep. Roy Blunt, the House of Representatives' second-ranking Republican, stepped down from his leadership post Thursday as the House GOP moved quickly to reposition itself as more conservative, unified and eager to fight Democrats.
The Missouri congressman's resignation came a day after Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., the House's third-ranking Republican, quit his leadership job. Likely to replace them are two combative favorites of die-hard conservatives: Virginia's Rep. Eric Cantor, expected to replace Blunt, and Indiana's Rep. Mike Pence, who would take Putnam's place.
Ohio Rep. John Boehner is expected to remain as the House minority leader, in charge of a Republican caucus that could lose as many as 26 seats – eight races remain undecided – in the 111th Congress.
House minorities usually have two roles. Their legislative task is difficult, because House rules make it difficult for them to offer alternatives without the majority's cooperation. The other is political, to provide a unified, consistent message in opposition to the majority.
"The leadership changes won't mean a lot in getting legislation passed," said Michael Tanner, senior fellow at Washington's Cato Institute, a libertarian research center, "but if they have a single, coherent message it could hurt (Barack) Obama's efforts to build consensus."
On the Senate side, Democrats added another seat Thursday when they squeaked out a victory in Oregon, leaving only three contests undecided: in Alaska, where votes remain to be counted; Minnesota, where there will be a recount; and Georgia, where there probably will be a runoff.
Sen. Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican who's been in Congress since the 1960s, was leading in his bid for an eighth term, but with felony convictions for corruption hanging over his head. He's ahead of Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by more than 3,000 votes, but 55,000 remain to be counted.
Out of nearly 3 million votes cast for the Senate in Minnesota, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman has a 438-vote lead over Democrat Al Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member.
Three percentage points separate the candidates in the Georgia race, where votes are still being counted. Neither Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss nor Democrat Jim Martin has received enough to meet the state-required minimum of 50 percent plus one to be declared the winner.
The state is expected to hold the runoff Dec. 2.
Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman's affiliation with Democrats was in question after a meeting Thursday with Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is angry over the Connecticut independent's high-profile campaigning for John McCain.
Although Reid said no decision had been made about Lieberman's future, he said Lieberman's "comments and actions have raised serious concerns among many in our caucus." Several Democrats have suggested stripping Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as well as two smaller Senate panels.
Call David Lightman, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-6101. David Goldstein of the Bee Washington Bureau and the New York Times contributed to this report.
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