Rebels in G.O.P. Call for DeLay to Be Replaced

A rebellious band of House Republicans moved Friday to bar Representative Tom DeLay of Texas from regaining his position as majority leader, demanding a vote to replace him permanently at the top of the party hierarchy.

Acting in the wake of Tuesday's guilty plea to corruption charges by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, once a close ally of Mr. DeLay, Representatives Jeff Flake of Arizona and Charles Bass of New Hampshire began circulating a petition on Friday to collect 50 signatures needed to call a party leadership election. By midafternoon, they had commitments from about two dozen lawmakers, aides said.

"Rightly or wrongly, Mr. DeLay is seen as the public face of Washington, and it is not healthy right now," Mr. Flake said. "We need a course correction."

While the petition calls only for the election of a permanent majority leader, the rank-and-file could push for more if enough lawmakers conclude a broader shake-up is warranted. Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois appears safe in his spot, but the turmoil represented another significant challenge to his ability to hold his caucus together without the help of Mr. DeLay, his longtime partner in running the House.

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