House speaker Dennis Hastert talks with members of the press on Capitol Hill. (Lucian Perkins — The Post)

Key stories, background and profiles from The Post.

Watts Threatened to Quit
Aug. 4, 1999
House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (Okla.) briefly threatened to resign over what he considered Majority Whip Tom DeLay's efforts to usurp his responsibilities.

Speaker Fears Cost of GOP Discord
June 8, 1999
Alarmed by the crumbling of GOP unity, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has decided to take a tougher line with rank-and-file Republicans who have stymied leadership efforts to pass important spending bills.

Hastert Drawing Crowds of Lobbyists
March 10, 1999
The new Speaker of the House is forging an effective fund-raising machine by lending a ready ear to eager lobbyists.

Hastert Vows Civility, Unity for House
January 6, 1999
Outwardly modest, inwardly ambitious, incoming House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has climbed the political ladder by making himself indispensable to the men that mattered most.

Hastert Steps Up to Leading Role
January 5, 1999
House Republicans unanimously nominated Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) as their leader, thereby ensuring he will become the speaker of the 106th Congress.

Hastert Sets Goals for '99
December 31, 1998
Incoming House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert pledged to seek tax cuts and a boost in defense and education spending, while promising to reach out to Democrats to devise a long-term solution to Social Security's problems.

Hastert Poised to Be Speaker
December 21, 1998
After Newt Gingrich's fiery flameout and Bob Livingston's swift departure, Dennis Hastert may be the perfect balm for a House Republican Party smarting from self-inflicted wounds.
• Livingston Foresaw Problems
• Obstacles Clutter House GOP's Future
• David Duke to Seek Livingston's Seat

Livingston Quits as Speaker-Designate
December 20, 1998
Fearing that a controversy over his sexual past would undercut his power and tear apart his family, Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.) told an astounded House he will not assume the speakership but would instead resign from Congress.
• Hastert Moves to Assume Speakership
• Livingston Resignation Crystallized Impeachment Debate
• Text of Livingston Statement | Video

Livingston Rejected GOP Advice
December 19, 1998
In announcing that he had occasionally "strayed from my marriage," House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston (R-La.) rejected the advice of other senior Republicans and agreed with his wife to disclose the affairs immediately, according to congressional GOP sources.
• Larry Flynt, Investigative Pornographer

Livingston's Past Becomes an Issue
December 18, 1998
House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston shocked Capitol Hill when he acknowledged past sexual "indiscretions."
• Another 'Surreal' Day on the Hill
• Analysis: One Week Defines 'Partisan'
• White House Angry About GOP Charge
• Text of Livingston Statement

Senate Republicans Reelects Lott, Other Top Leaders
December 2, 1998
Senate Republicans quelled a mini-revolt over the results of the November elections and handily reelected their current leaders, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), chairman of the party's senatorial campaign committee.

Freshman Challenges McConnell for Senate Campaign Job
November 25, 1998
Senate Republicans got their only post-election leadership fight as freshman Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) challenged Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) for chairmanship of their campaign committee.

Loyalty Helps Win Plum Committee Seats
November 24, 1998
While House Speaker Newt Gingrich placed vulnerable freshmen on key committees, Bob Livingston is distributing plum slots to more senior lawmakers.

House Embraces Livingston
November 19, 1998
House Republicans purged much of their troubled leadership, turning away from the ideological rhetoric of recent years to embrace incoming Speaker Bob Livingston (R-La.) and his nuts-and-bolts pledge to provide "honest, responsive and efficient government."
• Livingston Pledges to Correct Course
• Gingrich Valedictory Stresses GOP Unity
• Gingrich Loyalists Say They'll Get By
• Va.'s Davis Will Lead Key Committee

Frenzied Lobbying Precedes GOP Voting
November 18, 1998
Republican leadership hopefuls find out whether their campaigning pays off when the 223 incoming GOP members of Congress meet behind closed doors to pick their new leaders.
• Lott Appears Safe From Challenges as Senate Reorganizes
• Rep. Kennedy Gets Democratic Fund-Raising Post
• Rep. Clyburn Will Chair Black Caucus

For Watts, a Bid to Broaden His Party's Appeal
November 17, 1998
After an election that underscored the GOP's weakness in attracting African American voters, Rep. J.C. Watts Jr., the only black Republican member of Congress, is running for the fourth-ranking leadership position in the House.
• House Democrats Reelect Gephardt
• Dick Armey's Divided Ranks

Incoming Speaker's 'Art of the Possible'
November 16, 1998
Bob Livingston, a former U.S. prosecutor and martial arts expert who plays the harmonica to relieve stress, has a massive job ahead of him as speaker of the House.
• Dunn, GOP's Smooth Referee, Aims for the No. 2 Spot

Hastert May Be Drafted for House GOP Contest
November 15, 1998
Injecting a note of volatility into a House Republican leadership race, two congressmen announced that they plan to nominate Chief Deputy Whip J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) as a candidate for majority leader on Wednesday.

12-Day Blitz for the No. 2 Spot
November 14, 1998
Rep. Steve Largent is winding up a 12-day blitz to win the hearts of his fellows in the house and become its second most powerful member.

Majority Leader Fights for Post
November 13, 1998
House Majority Leader Richard Armey of Texas is fending off challenges from Reps. Steve Largent (Okla.) and Jennifer Dunn (Wash.). The Post profiles the two challengers:

Davis in Line for GOP Leadership Post
November 12, 1998
Allies of Virginia Rep. Thomas M. Davis III said he has enough votes to become chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
• Livingston Cool on Impeachment Inquiry

GOP Members Want Telegenic Figure
November 11, 1998
House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey is in danger of losing his post because Republicans appear hungry for a more telegenic figure who can better forge coalitions across the ideological divisions within the party.
• Analysis: Changes Won't Unite House GOP
• PAC Gave Speaker-to-Be Some Reach
• Gingrich to Pay Ethics Penalty Before Leaving Office
• House Leadership Contests At-a-Glance

Republicans' Attention Turns to No. 2 Post
November 10, 1998
With Rep. Bob Livingston all but certain to succeed Newt Gingrich as speaker, other House Republican leaders are fighting to hold off challengers.
• Gingrich Says He's Leaving to Spare Turmoil in Party
• In House GOP Brawl, Whip's Skills Counted for Survival
• Georgia's GOP School Board Chief Likely to Run for Gingrich's Seat

Livingston Bid for Speaker Gains Security
November 9, 1998
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston solidified his bid for the speakership as his rivals abandoned their challenged.

House Leaders Line Up Behind Livingston
November 8, 1998
Striving to avoid an intraparty bloodbath, many top House leaders threw their support to Rep. Bob Livingston's bid to become speaker.
• Seeds of Gingrich's Demise Planted Early
• Speaker's Partisan Edge Cut Both Ways
• Senate GOP Mulls Chance of Shake-Up
• Gingrich Departure Seen as Crucial to GOP

Gingrich Steps Down As Speaker
November 7, 1998
Rep. Newt Gingrich announced he will not seek reelection as Speaker.
• Elections Eclipsed Gingrich Era
• For Livingston, the Time Is Now
• GOP Frustration Started With Budget Talks

GOP Leadership Rivalries Emerge
November 6, 1998
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston (R-La.) is deciding whether to challenge Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Gingrich Could Face Leadership Challenge
November 5, 1998
Bob Livingston and other House Republicans are testing the waters for possible leadership races.
• Gingrich Blames Media for Lewinsky Scandal

Gingrich Orchestrated GOP Ads Recalling Clinton-Lewinsky Affair
October 30, 1998
House Speaker Newt Gingrich devised the GOP's multimillion dollar ad campaign invoking the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal.

House Leadership Challenge Weighed
October 30, 1998
Embittered House conservatives may try to oust GOP leaders at the party's post-election organizing meeting in mid-November.

GOP Struggles to Make Whole Exceed Sum of Its Parts
October 25, 1998
In the coming elections, the Republican Party may become the dominant force in American politics. Or it may self-destruct along the way.

Livingston: On the Road in Quest for Speakership
July 6, 1998
Rep. Bob Livingston has assembled a national fund-raising drive to raise money for GOP candidates – and propel himself into the speaker's chair.

Term Limit Prompts House Chairmen to Hunt New Perches
March 23, 1998
Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston's effort to succeed Speaker Newt Gingrich is only the first of many coming duels involving the titans of the House.

Livingston Seeking Another Term, Considers Bid for Speaker
February 20, 1998
Bob Livingston said he no longer plans to retire from Congress, suggesting he might try to succeed Newt Gingrich in 2000.