From the Washington Post:

Supporters and opponents of Blunt say passage of the budget bill may not ensure his victory in the leadership vote on Thursday, but its failure could be a serious blow to his bid to succeed DeLay (R-Tex.), who is under indictment in his home state. As Republican whip, Blunt is supposed to win votes, and he took considerable heat last year for the GOP’s difficulties passing high-profile legislation…
…With House members returning to Washington this week, the leadership election has already turned testy. House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) publicly accused Blunt supporters of threatening to intervene on behalf of House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Tex.) over a jurisdiction fight regarding telecommunications law. Blunt tried to win the Texas Republicans to his camp en masse, a bid that came up short but did secure the votes of several Texans hoping to preserve the clout of a delegation that, for the first time in more than a decade, will lose a seat in the leadership.