A beefy former wrestling coach, high-school teacher and restaurateur has emerged as the most likely next Speaker of the House of Representatives. The post suddenly fell vacant in the wake of the latest Washington sex scandal.
Mr Dennis Hastert (56), a low profile Republican from Illinois, is now said to have the votes to succeed Mr Robert Livingston, who announced during the impeachment debate on Saturday that he would not seek the Speaker post, of which he was assured, in the new Congress.
Republicans will meet in early January to choose Mr Livingston's successor.
Mr Livingston had stunned his Republican colleagues on the eve of the impeachment debate when he admitted to extra-marital affairs which a magazine was going to publicise. But they were not expecting him to stand down.
Last November, the Republicans were also shocked when the high profile Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, announced in the aftermath of disappointing election results that he was stepping down after four years in office and retiring.
The Republican conference in the House then elected Mr Livingston, who was unopposed, as its candidate for Speaker in the new Congress, which meets on January 6th.
While Mr Hastert is a virtual unknown to the public and much of the media, he is an influential figure in the House where he has been the Republican deputy whip.
His boss, the chief whip, Mr Tom DeLay, has been the main force promoting Mr Hastert for the Speaker post, which ranks third in the Constitution after the President and Vice-President.
The hardline Mr DeLay from Texas is seen as too divisive a figure to bring together the bruised Republican caucus which has now lost Mr Gingrich and his successor within two months.
Although Mr Hastert is a conservative Protestant from a smalltown rural area, west of Chicago, he is seen as someone who can help build consensus inside the Republican party and with the Democrats.
In announcing his candidature, Mr Hastert promised to "make a particular effort to build bridges across the aisle, not just to pass legislation, but to ensure that common-sense ideas and principles become law". He pointed out that with the reduced Republican majority in the new Congress, "there's no question that in a six-seat majority our ability to work with all viewpoints and listen to all members will be of the utmost importance."