We’re hearing that Jerry Lewis was making some calls, but seems to have little support. Looks likely to be a Blunt v. Boehner race. Boehner’s base will be the Ohio delegation, his friends (he has quite a few), and members who think the leadership needs a even bigger shake-up than DeLay stepping side permanently. Acting Majority Leader Blunt’s advantages are that he has been running the whip operation and his deputies are kicking in for him, and a lot of members will want to make the minimum change necessary. Probably have to give Blunt a slight advantage at the moment. Another factor working in his favor: Boehner and DeLay famously didn’t go along, and there’s a lot of sympathy for DeLay in the conference at the moment, and appreciation for the incredibly hard decision he made today. That won’t help Boehner. But leadership races are famously Byzantine, insidery affairs, and outsiders don’t always know what’s really going on–so take this with a grain of salt…