Hastert taps out

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) announced on Friday that he will not run for another term and will retire from Congress in 2008, bringing an end to the congressional career of the longest-serving Republican Speaker in the chamber’s history.

Hastert served as Speaker from 1999 until January, when new Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats ascended to majority status.

{mosads}Hastert’s tenure ended on a sour note — most notably his party’s 2006 election losses and the criticism he endured in connection with the congressional page scandal that led to the resignation of former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) — but his GOP colleagues had the highest praise for Hastert.

Hastert’s top accomplishments include passing President Bush’s tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug plan.

“I am indebted to Denny for his candid advice and strong support, and I look forward to working with him throughout the remainder of the 110th Congress,” Bush said. “As my good friend prepares to move on to the next phase of his life, he has my gratitude for his distinguished service.”

Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said the “textbooks of tomorrow will rightly regard Denny Hastert as a leader who answered a unique call to service,” adding: “He made a real difference for the nation at a time when the House of Representatives was deeply divided and in desperate need of a steady hand like his at the helm.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that, thanks to Hastert, “our nation is stronger and more secure than we were before 9/11, working families keep more of their own money as a result of lower taxes, and the retirement savings of workers and retirees are on more solid ground than ever before.”

Democrats also sang Hastert’s praises.

“Speaker Hastert has always placed a high value on public service, a calling he dedicated much of his life to as a teacher, coach, and member of the House,” said Pelosi. “He can take great pride in his record as the longest-serving Republican Speaker, an accomplishment that is a testament to his leadership in the Republican Conference. I salute Dennis Hastert for his service to our nation and wish him the best as he prepares for the next chapter in his life.”

But not all Democrats shared that view.

A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Doug Thornell, said: “It is not surprising House Republicans are disenchanted and calling it quits given their party’s record of obstructing progress on key American priorities and rubberstamping George Bush’s endless war in Iraq.”

Hastert is the third House Republican in two days to announce his retirement, joining Reps. Deborah Pryce (Ohio) and Chip Pickering (Miss.), whose Thursday retirements were more surprising than Hastert’s.

It remains to be seen whether the increasing retirements — Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) has also said he won’t run again — will turn into an epidemic for the party during its first stint in the minority in more than a decade.

Hastert saves congressional Republicans a headache by electing to serve out his term rather than retiring early and triggering an expensive special election in his suburban Chicago district. There had been some uncertainty about whether he would retire effective immediately.

Special election campaigns are generally more costly and unpredictable than general election contests. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) remains in debt from last cycle, and the district tilts Republican, meaning a higher turnout in November 2008 would likely benefit the GOP.

Democrats have compared the district to the neighboring 6th district, where they nearly took a seat from the GOP in 2006 after Rep. Henry Hyde (R) retired.

State Sen. Chris Lauzen and former gubernatorial and Senate candidate Jim Oberweis are expected to be among the top GOP candidates and have already filed paperwork for the race. Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns is also in the race.

Three Democrats are already in the race: businessman Bill Foster, attorney Jotham Stein, and 2006 Hastert opponent John Laesch.

Hastert beat Laesch 60-40 in the former Speaker’s poorest showing since first being elected two decades ago. President Bush won the district 55-44 in 2004.

Republicans said they expect the seat to stay red.

“The NRCC will be working with Speaker Hastert, local politicians and Republican activists to field a strong Republican candidate to continue Hastert’s work on behalf of the people of northern Illinois,” said Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.), the chairman of the NRCC.