He is, to be sure, avoiding a contest for the position of Republican whip, which he might have lost to Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who leads the party's campaign arm.
The contest for his position back in May last year was another of those deeply nasty political face-offs that we have simply had to get accustomed to.
If a majority votes Yes on 3 May, then a contest for the new position will be held in November.
Senator Leonard Lance, whose name is circulating as the most likely new Senate Republican leader, said "it's premature to discuss personalities" in any contest for leadership positions.
Whenever the alpha male position may not guarantee a share of paternity large enough to compensate the risks of injuries or expulsion from the group received through direct challenges for reaching this position, male male contest for dominance can be expected to be reduced (van Noordwijk and van Schaik 2004).
Primary contests for judicial positions that pay $136,000 or less have cost $250,000 or more.
In addition to the presidential race, decentralization measures of the 2010 constitution had provided for the administrative unit transition from 8 provinces to 47 counties and resulted in several contests for new positions, including legislative seats in the expanded National Assembly and the newly created Senate and elections to fill the new county governor and county council member positions.
And the outcome of that struggle may well have greater influence on the shape of the party's policy agenda than the higher-profile contests for leadership positions.
