As GOP ponders Lott's fate, contenders surface | csmonitor.com

Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma. On Sunday, the outgoing Republican whip was the first to publicly call for a meeting on whether Lott should continue as leader.

That could hurt him, insiders say. "When you draw the sword, you're likely to fall on it," says Mr. Pitney.

He's equally bad for blacks, worse for gays.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Replacing Senator Nickles as party whip, Senator McConnell is best known for his long battle against campaign reform.

Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee. The first practicing physician elected to the US Senate since 1928, Senator Frist won credit both for his leadership during the anthrax attacks in October 2001 and for the party's strong showing in Senate races this year, which he supported as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He also enjoys the support of President Bush, who named him the liaison between the Senate and the White House. A strong supporter of modernizing Medicare, he's also a lead spokesman for famine relief in Africa.

Strongly believed to have inserted corporate relief into the Homeland Security bill.

The Washington Post has a similar list adding Santorum:

Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who will succeed Nickles next month as the assistant GOP leader, or whip, also is regarded as a potentially strong contender even though he has been Lott's principal defender, which could prove a liability if the party decides it wants a clean slate.

Dark horse candidate.

Another possibility is Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), just reelected to his second term as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, composed of all GOP senators, which is the official body that will decide whether to hold a new election if things go that far. Santorum, 44, is one of the Senate's scrappiest members, with a brash style that has unnerved some Republicans as well as Democrats. Of the major possible contenders, he has the strongest record on trying to boost minority opportunities, focusing on inner-city projects in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, according to one senior Senate aide.

Too young, too new to the Senate.