Roy Blunt looks to lock up House post

Blunt made the announcement Sunday following Tom DeLay’s Jan. 7 decision to step down as majority leader.

Blunt was chosen to fill the position temporarily when DeLay was indicted in September for his alleged conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme. DeLay said at the time that he planned to return to the House leadership post.

In a letter to the House Republican Conference, Blunt said he would fight to recover the trust of the people and of the Democrat minority if elected as leader.

“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,” he 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 also called for a need to reform and reprioritize government by understanding that new expenses require reductions in spending elsewhere.

“The private sector continually does more with less by utilizing technology, market incentives and by prioritizing the best use of their limited resources,” he said. “If you elect me your leader, we will work with our committees to reform government by adopting, where appropriate, the best private sector practices.”

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio also announced he is seeking the majority leader position. House Speaker Dennis Hastert said in a news release that he expects the House will vote on majority leader during the week of Jan. 29.