Interesting tidbit from Austin America-Statesman about part of Blunt’s pitch:

But [Lamar] Smith said that Blunt proved himself while serving as interim leader, because he balanced respecting DeLay’s position with temporarily leading the party. Smith said Blunt also “vetted” himself during that time to show that the ongoing Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal didn’t involve him, too.
“Roy has assured us . . . that we do not need to be concerned about that,” Smith said. “If there was anything there, people would have discovered it, or looked at it. In a way, he’s already sort of been vetted.”