House Speaker David Wilkins' confirmation Thursday as U.S. ambassador to Canada sent the race to succeed him into hyperdrive.

As early as next week, representatives will elect a new leader - the most significant leadership change in the Statehouse since Gov. Mark Sanford was elected in 2002. That put Republicans in charge of the House, Senate and governor's office for the first time since Reconstruction.

It will be the first turnover in the position since Wilkins, a Greenville Republican, was elected 11 years ago - when the GOP took over the House.

Depending on how quickly President Bush acts on the U.S. Senate's confirmation, S.C. House members could elect a new speaker by Thursday - the last day of the legislative session.

Candidates and House members say they're ready for resolution.

"I'm just frankly hoping we can do this thing on Thursday and not go into the summer," said Rep. Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, one of the three Republicans vying for the job.

"I'm living, breathing, eating, sleeping this thing," said Rep. James Smith, D-Richland, who has been campaigning among Democrats for Richland Republican Rep. Jim Harrison.

The decision will determine whether the most powerful member of the House will continue to be from the Upstate, if Columbia gets its first speaker in decades, or whether Charleston's clout will swell.

Charleston already is home to the Senate president pro tem, the governor and the House majority leader.

House members say the speaker's race, which has simmered for months, has tinged everything from which bills the House considered to how members voted on Sanford's budget vetoes this week.

With Wilkins' departure now almost a sure thing, Republican hopefuls for his job are strategizing and making last-minute grabs for votes.

They hope to sway what appears to be a neck-and-neck race between Harrison, the Judiciary Committee chairman, and Harrell, the House's chief budget writer.

Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith, R-Spartanburg, is considered to be a long shot, with some saying Harrison could win if Smith dropped out.

Rumors have been flying about deals cut, threats made and who holds the lead. Many lawmakers have said the race has taken on a nasty tone.

On Friday, Smith said Harrison talked to him about the need to beat Harrell. But Smith says he is not running a distant third and blames "the spin machine" for spreading that perception.

"I will promise you this - the moment I think I can't win, I'll drop out, but not a moment before," Smith said.

Efforts to reach Harrison were unsuccessful Friday.

Still to be decided is how the election will happen. The state constitution requires a voice vote unless members agree to vote electronically. That would entail members voting "yes" or "no" on each candidate in separate votes.

But even that has been controversial, with some saying an electronic vote could give an advantage to Harrell, who would come first alphabetically.

Others fear projecting the votes on the House's electronic tally board would send members into a last-minute campaigning frenzy, pressuring one another to vote for certain candidates - even as votes are being cast.

Also, the date of the election is still up in the air. If Bush doesn't finish the final steps in the appointment process before Thursday, the House and Senate would have to pass a resolution to return for the speaker's election, probably June 14.