House GOP gathers following scandal

Their speaker tried to kill himself and then announced his resignation in disgrace following charges he had an affair with a lobbyist for a utility that stood to benefit from legislation he was championing. The heir to the speakership said a week ago he looked forward to taking the job and then this week changed his mind and said he wouldn't seek the position on a permanent basis.

Speculation over sex scandals and familial hang-ups permeates the majority caucus, and Friday's gathering is billed as an opportunity to discuss the fallout and the path forward.

Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek), who said he would not permanently seek the top job, called the meeting and promised there would be no elections. Burkhalter said he is pursuing other business opportunities that could require more of his time. He is believed to be a finalist to win the $400,000-a-year job as executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center.

What is likely, however, is a frank, open discussion behind closed doors about what comes next, as well as quite a bit of jockeying and campaigning by members with their eyes on leadership positions.

Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) said last week he would resign Jan. 1, meaning there will be a new speaker early in 2010. Several candidates have already said they will seek the speaker's gavel,  including Ways and Means Chairman Larry O'Neal (R-Bonaire), Rep. Tommy Smith (R-Nicholls), Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Villa Rica) and Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), who ran unsuccessfully against Richardson in 2008.  And because the GOP holds a commanding 105-75 edge over the Democrats, anybody chosen to be speaker or speaker pro tem by the Republican caucus has a near lock on winning when the actual election is held in the full House in January.

Burkhalter will be a temporary speaker, then, and a new speaker pro tem will also be elected by the full House next month. Several Republicans are also eyeing the second-in-command's job. One of those is said to be  Rep. Jan Jones (R-Atlanta), who is currently the majority whip. Jones' bid for pro tem opens up the job of whip, who serves to wrangle votes according to the leadership's wishes. Jones did not return repeated phone and e-mail messages seeking comment.

Finally, what's unclear is whether there is an opening for majority leader. Rep. Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons Island) currently holds that title, but there are rumblings that Republicans have lost confidence in the entire leadership team that was in power when the seeds of this scandal were sown. Keen, typically one of the most accessible House leaders, could not be reached for comment.

What is clear is Republicans want to make sure this doesn't happen again anytime soon.

Several common threads have emerged in interviews with Republican lawmakers who see an opportunity amid the rubble of scandal to right several wrongs. Many have pledged to seek a speaker who has not a whiff of sex scandal about him. Others want one who will erase the current policy of allowing leadership to stack committees, a move rank-and-file members see as stifling their ability to impact legislation.

Rep. Jim Cole (R-Forsyth) sent a memo to the caucus on Thursday outlining what he will require from any candidate for speaker who wants his vote. At the top of the list: taking a pledge that he or she will "be faithful to one's spouse and family."

"While we are all human, it is right to expect that those of us who seek leadership will receive a greater degree of scrutiny and be held to a higher level of expectations," Cole wrote. "The cornerstone of this higher standard is fidelity to one's family and vows over marriage, yet it is also broader than that."

Scorecard

A look at who is, and who is believed to be, running for House leadership positions

Speaker

Rep. Larry O'Neal (R-Bonaire)

Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Villa Rica)

Rep. Tommy Smith (R-Nicholls)

Speaker pro tem

Rep. Clay Cox (R-Lilburn)

Rep. Jan Jones (R-Alpharetta)*

Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna)

Majority whip

Rep. John Lunsford (R-McDonough)

Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta)

*unconfirmed