WASHINGTON — Speaker Dennis Hastert faces significant tests in holding together House Republicans in coming weeks while establishing a leadership identity outside the shadow of Tom DeLay, his close partner and political patron.
Promoted for the speaker's job by DeLay in 1998, Hastert will for the first time be governing the House without the Texan's constant assistance, due to DeLay's exile from the leadership after his indictment in his home state this week on charges of violating campaign finance laws.
Even before DeLay was forced to step aside, divisions were growing among Republicans over the response to Hurricane Katrina. Now the possibility of leadership struggles in DeLay's absence could roil Republicans more.
"It will be interesting to learn something about Hastert's capabilities as he sizes up the new political context and tries to figure out a way to operate," said Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution. "And I do think the responsibility falls to him."
The speaker acknowledged that it would require an adjustment without DeLay at his side for at least the immediate future.
"Sure," said Hastert in an interview. "That is why we are trying to share some of that responsibility and brought in some good people to help."
Trying to regroup from the turmoil accompanying DeLay's departure from his post, Hastert gathered on Friday with his new leadership team in an effort to sort out responsibilities. On hand were Reps. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the Republican whip who has assumed the majority leader's post; David Dreier of California, the Rules Committee chairman; Eric Cantor of Virginia, the deputy whip; and Deborah Pryce of Ohio, the head of the Republican conference.
DeLay also attended before flying to Houston, where he was met by cheering supporters at a rally. Top Republicans say he will continue to play a substantive role, though it remains undefined.
"Tom has stepped down, but he hasn't resigned, so he will still be around," Hastert said. "There will be some interaction, but I can't tell you how much it will be. He really can't be in the leadership meetings and that type of stuff."
Hastert entered the Republican leadership in 1995 as deputy to DeLay when the Texan became the whip as Republicans took over the House. The two remained a highly effective tandem even as Hastert rose above his mentor.
Hastert, who is revered by House Republicans, served as a sounding board for lawmakers and offered a contrast to the go-for-broke style of DeLay, who handled the nuts and bolts of House operations and delivered elusive votes on messy House issues. There was steady traffic between the speaker's office on the second floor of the Capitol and the leader's suite below as the two plotted their rigid control of the House.
"All of the success that our conference has had over the last 11 years can be directly attributed to Denny Hastert and Tom DeLay being a good team," said Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill. "There is no question Denny Hastert is going to have to pick it up."
Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va., expressed a similar sentiment. "Somebody has to pick up the burden," he said.
The void left by DeLay has already prompted some anxiety among Republican activists. One senior party official, who did not want to be named while disclosing Republican concerns about the situation, said interest groups had been calling in recent days, asking who they should approach with their issues since they typically had just left them in DeLay's hands.
And Democrats plan to try to take advantage as well. They believe that Hastert and Blunt will be less likely to be able to hold Republicans together for difficult votes that lie ahead on spending and tax cuts, among others. DeLay was a master, using his extensive knowledge of members' weak spots mixed with cajoling and the suggestion of possible political trouble.
"He was good at what he did," said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., with grudging respect.
While Hastert has never faced the ethical questions that have dogged DeLay, Democrats note that it was Hastert who changed the leadership of the ethics committee after it cited DeLay last year and also engineered changes in House ethics rules that were viewed as making it more difficult to pursue inquiries. The resulting controversy paralyzed the ethics committee until Hastert agreed to a House vote reversing the changes.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the minority leader, recalled this week that it was Hastert who "gutted the membership of the ethics committee, taking out anyone whom they thought was responsible for the admonishment for Mr. DeLay."
Democrats and some Republicans also noted the Hastert-led process for the temporary replacement of DeLay was troubled, with indications at first that it would be Dreier, before Blunt was selected.
Hastert's allies say he is fully capable of doing what needs to be done in the days ahead, both advancing Republican legislation and reconciling the growing tensions among his membership. They note that he rose to the speakership in a time of crisis after the ouster of Newt Gingrich.
"Denny is good at picking up the pieces," said John Feehery, a former Hastert spokesman who is now an official at the Motion Picture Association of America. "He is a very soothing influence. At the end of the day, I think people will be looking to Denny for leadership."