Hastert Won’t Seek House Minority Leader

ABC News’ Liz Marlantes Reports: To no one’s surprise, Speaker Dennis Hastert will not be in the GOP leadership when Republicans return as the minority party in January.

From a statement: "The Republican leader in the 110th Congress will have the responsibility to emphasize conservative values and reform principles. I will not seek this role, but will support our leader to the best of my ability as I return to the full-time task of representing the people of the 14th district of Illinois who have honored me 11 times with the privilege of serving them in the House of Representatives."

But the race for Minority Leader — and other spots — is on. Current Majority Leader John Boehner has not officially said whether he will seek his party’s top post or not, but he already appears to have at least two challengers: Mike Pence (R-IN) and Joe Barton (R-TX), both of whom have been reaching out to members for support.

Roy Blunt is actively seeking to retain his post as GOP Whip, and current Deputy Whip Eric Cantor is running Blunt’s campaign, making calls to members on his behalf. Blunt too, will not go unchallenged: John Shadegg (R-AZ) announced today that he will seek the Whip spot as well.

From Shadegg’s statement: "Last night’s election was NOT a revolution, nor was it an endorsement of a true or real Democrat alternative. It was a rebuke of the way Washington has conducted itself as of late…. It is for these reasons, along with the urging of my colleagues that I have decided to run for Minority Whip. Now is the time to return to the ideals that swept us into a governing majority."

Still unresolved: when Republicans will hold their leadership elections. There’s talk that the original date – Nov 15 – will likely be pushed back. Members will hold a conference call later today, where they are expected to discuss, among other things, setting a new date.

Click Here to Read Actual Dennis Hastert Statement