The Associated Press reported Wednesday that former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., will leave Congress next year and intends to make a formal annoucement on Friday. He will lead the departure of several prominent House Republicans who are giving up their seats after losing control to the Democrats in the 2006 elections. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, who once ran the House GOP caucus, also won’t seek re-election, the AP reported.Hastert was the longest-serving House speaker in modern history. But I suspect we’ll have trouble remembering his name in a few years. Not nearly as articulate or telegenic as Newt Gingrich, Hastert never reached very far into the national consciousness.Of course, the departure of a number of high-profile Republicans could make it easier for Democrats to hold the House in 2008, depending on how events go in Iraq and the Middle East and how the illegal immigration issue evolves in the next year.

Posted in: Congress |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.