WASHINGTON -- Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Tex., one of the most powerful and feared Republican leaders in Washington, abandoned his quest to regain his House majority leader post yesterday, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about the growing corruption and campaign finance scandals linked to his office.

Rep. Tom DeLay

Mr. Delay's announcement in his home town of Sugar Land ends his decade-long tenure as a legislative juggernaut and conservative ideologue who revolutionized the relationship between power and money in Washington.

It also cleared the way for a leadership contest that could further shake up the House GOP team going into an uncertain election year. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Republicans would choose a new majority leader and other officers the week of Jan. 30, when members return for President Bush's State of the Union address.

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has served as acting majority leader since September, when Mr. DeLay was forced to step down after his indictment on campaign finance charges, will ask his colleagues to make his post permanent. Sources close to House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio, confirmed he will challenge Mr. Blunt.

But dark horse candidates are likely to emerge, from the ideological conservative Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., to veteran House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.

"There has been this desperate plea for someone to take charge," said Charles Cook, an independent political analyst. Republicans "are looking for some leadership, someone that has some sense of what they ought to be doing."

Mr. DeLay, 58, who was House majority whip for eight years before becoming majority leader in late 2002, had resolved to return to leadership since he was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of money laundering and conspiracy linked to his efforts to finance state political campaigns. Mr. DeLay contended the indictments were a political vendetta by the Democratic Travis County prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, and until recently most Republicans supported that view.

But last week's guilty plea by Republican lobbyist and DeLay ally Jack Abramoff dramatically changed the political climate, according to many lawmakers and political experts. A source close to the Republican leadership said Mr. DeLay was counseled by senior Republicans, including House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., but that he ultimately made the decision, calling Mr. Hastert yesterday morning.

"I am writing to inform you of my decision to permanently step aside as majority leader, and of my belief that the best interests of the conference would be served by the election of a new leader as soon as possible," Mr. DeLay wrote to Mr. Hastert. "The job of majority leader and the mandate of the Republican majority are too important to be hamstrung, even for a few months, by personal distractions."

He vowed to reclaim his seat on the appropriations committee and to stand for re-election in against a former House member, Democrat Nick Lampson, and possibly a primary challenger in former Republican representative Steve Stockman.

In a letter to his colleagues, Mr. DeLay wrote, "During my time in Congress, I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land. I am fully confident time will bear this out."

Mr. DeLay has maintained he has nothing to fear from the Abramoff corruption and bribery probe. But federal investigators signaled they are inching closer to his office when on Tuesday, they highlighted the activities of his former deputy chief of staff, Tony C. Rudy, in Abramoff's plea agreement.

Although Mr. DeLay's hard-edged political style and tactics frequently drew complaints over the years, his political and legal problems first began to emerge in 2004, when he was admonished by the House ethics committee, for holding a social event with energy industry officials as the House was considering an energy bill and for enlisting the Federal Aviation Administration to track down Texas Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state to avoid a vote on a congressional redistricting bill Mr. DeLay helped draft.

Mr. DeLay's court fight in Texas, which he had hoped would be quickly resolved, was also dragging on, complicating any return to leadership, but it was Mr. Abramoff's plea agreement with prosecutors that ultimately forced his downfall.

"DeLay is the first political casualty of the Abramoff affair," said Republican political strategist Rich Galen. "I don't think there's any question about that."

Mr. DeLay's departure deprives House Republicans of their strongest leader and an unparalleled political tactician, said Stuart Rothenberg, a congressional expert. Since he stepped down in late September, the party has had a series of high-profile embarrassments in failing to pass legislation.

Mr. DeLay's decision also deprives Democrats of the political villain they have been cultivating since the departure of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., in 1998, Mr. Cook and Mr. Rothenberg said.

"For years, at the expense of the American people, the House Republicans have enabled and benefited from the Republican culture of corruption engineered by Tom DeLay," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "The culture of corruption is so pervasive in the Republican conference that a single person stepping down is not nearly enough to clean up the Republican Congress."