WASHINGTON - House Democrats, in the wake of the party's Election Day losses, are bracing for a heated and potentially divisive contest between two of their highest-ranking officials, Nancy Pelosi and Martin Frost, for the mantle of minority leader.
House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt, tarnished by his party's defeat in Tuesday's elections and considering a run for president in 2004, announced yesterday that he will step down from the top minority post when the new Congress convenes in January.
His decision opened the way for a vigorous leadership battle between party whip Pelosi of California, a liberal reared in Baltimore, and Frost of Texas, the moderate chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Pelosi is regarded as the favorite in a race to be decided Nov. 14.
Gephardt's retreat follows the Democrats' fourth consecutive failure during his tenure as minority leader to seize control of the House from Republicans in a national election.
It is the first clear consequence of the turmoil within the Democratic Party after Tuesday's midterm elections, in which it lost ground in the House and Senate, and made fewer gains than projected in statehouses around the country.
"There is some disorder going on right now, there's no question," said Rep. Robert T. Matsui, a California Democrat and close Gephardt ally. "And there's some anxiety - in some cases high anxiety."
The shake-up in the House came as no surprise to Democratic aides, colleagues and strategists who have quietly acknowledged for months that Gephardt would probably relinquish his leadership role after the midterm elections in order to pursue his White House aspirations. Gephardt sought his party's presidential nomination in 1988.
"I'm looking forward to the freedom to speak for myself and talk about my vision for America's future," Gephardt said in a written statement yesterday.
Quitting the post liberates Gephardt from the constraints of being the leader of a caucus of increasingly diffuse voices - from dyed-in-the-wool liberals to moderate New Democrats to conservative Blue Dogs.
"It's time for me personally to take a different direction, look at the country's challenge from a different perspective and take on this president and the Republican Party from a different vantage point," Gephardt said.
It also allows him to pass on one of the most demanding and crucial aspects of a minority leader's job - winning back the majority for his party - to someone else.
"I've concluded that in fairness to my friends and colleagues in the House, they need a leader for the next two years who can devote his or her undivided attention to putting our party back in the majority," Gephardt said.
Pelosi and Frost, who have been campaigning quietly for the top Democratic leadership post since early this year, spent yesterday telephoning colleagues to shore up support.
Until then, the public contest between them will reflect an intense behind-the-scenes debate over how the party should redefine itself in the wake of Tuesday's stunning electoral defeats.
Some Democratic strategists and lawmakers attribute those losses to their party's failure to articulate a clear message that drew bold distinctions between itself and President Bush and congressional Republicans on such issues as the war on terrorism, Iraq and tax cuts.
Many of them believe Democrats must go back to their liberal roots - where Pelosi has operated throughout her political career - in order to wrest control of Congress and the presidency from Republicans.
"We must draw clear distinctions between our vision of the future and the extreme policies put forward by the Republicans. We cannot allow Republicans to pretend they share our values and then legislate against those values without consequence," Pelosi said in a statement.
But others, including Frost, take a different lesson from Tuesday's vote, arguing instead that Democrats must move to the political center and appeal to a broader constituency.
"This is a critical time facing our party," Frost told reporters yesterday. "I believe our party must occupy the center if we are to be successful, if we're to come back in the majority and not move farther to the left. It's a clear choice."
Should Pelosi prevail, Southern Maryland Rep. Steny H. Hoyer is almost certain to claim the whip position, elevating him to the second-ranking Democratic post in the House.
Hoyer, who unsuccessfully battled Pelosi for the whip slot last year, has campaigned relentlessly for the post this year. He said yesterday that he has the support of more than 80 percent of House Democrats, including most of the 20 newly elected ones.
While Hoyer acknowledged yesterday that his party is smarting from Tuesday's defeats, he denied that the leadership contests among House Democrats are a sign of a party uncertain which direction it should take.
"It wasn't that we weren't articulating the message, it was that the president was successful in obscuring our message," Hoyer said. "Democrats need to focus on issues that Democrats are known for fighting for, and that's working families and working people. They unify our party, they don't divide it."
Still, for the next week, divisions will be clear as Democrats jockey for coveted positions. Yet another heated battle is under way for the chairmanship of the Democratic Caucus, which Frost is leaving after four years because of term limits.
That race pits Caucus Vice Chair Robert Menendez of New Jersey - who would become the first Hispanic congressional leader - against Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
Little change is expected, however, among the rest of the congressional leadership.
Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, is likely to stay on as minority leader, while Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, will re-claim his title in January as majority leader.
In the House, Dennis Hastert of Illinois will remain speaker, while GOP Whip Tom DeLay of Texas is expected to be elected overwhelmingly Nov. 13 to succeed retiring Rep. Dick Armey of Texas as majority leader.
DeLay's deputy whip, Roy Blunt of Missouri, is expected to win election as whip.