House Majority Leader Jim Merrill has a couple of words for fellow Republicans as a race erupts to replace House Speaker David Wilkins:

Chill out.

Many in the State House expect Wilkins to accept an offer from President Bush to be U.S. ambassador to Canada. Wilkins has insisted it is all a rumor.

The race has gotten so hot that Merrill has called a special GOP caucus meeting today to tell its 74 members to “calm down.”

Merrill also called the four Republicans who want to succeed Wilkins to a meeting Wednesday afternoon. He won’t say what happened in the meeting with Reps. Doug Smith, Bobby Harrell, Jim Harrison and Harry Cato.

But he wants the four of them to stay away from today’s caucus so he can hear what others have to say about a potential race.

— The Associated Press