WASHINGTON — Rep. Rob Portman said Wednesday he would not seek to replace retiring House Majority Leader Richard Armey, R-Texas, next year as lawmakers worked behind-the-scenes to position themselves for future leadership contests.

        Mr. Portman said he made his decision late Tuesday after speaking with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who has told lawmakers that he expects to run for leader if Republicans keep their majority in the House after the 2002 elections.

        “It's been an interesting 48 hours for me,” said Mr. Portman, a Terrace Park Republican. “But I'm not in the majority leader's race or the majority whip's race.”

        The congressman said family considerations — he has three young children — played a role in his decision. “This is not the time,” he said.

Boehner

        Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, will consider his options after the House finishes work on an education reform package that the congressman has been negotiating for several months. An aide said Mr. Boehner would turn to “palace intrigue” only after securing passage of the legislation that President Bush has called his most important domestic priority.

        The aide said this was probably the “most important legislative week of his life.”

        Majority leader is the second-ranking leadership position in the House. Mr. Boehner, who once served as chairman of the House Republican Conference — the fourth-highest post — would have to mount an aggressive campaign to challenge Mr. DeLay.

        Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is expected to run for majority whip if Mr. DeLay seeks the majority leader's job. Mr. Boehner, who is interested in being House speaker one day, might consider a race against Mr. Blunt or could opt to wait for a future opportunity.

        Mr. Armey, in his retirement speech on the House floor, said he felt privileged that voters gave him the responsibility to serve. “I have come to love this place,” he said of his 17 years in the House. “It is the most marvelous democratic institution in the history of the world.”

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