Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee is the latest to join the growing chorus of lawmakers and Christian groups urging Idaho Senator Larry Craig to resign after his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in connection with a restroom incident.

Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who chairs the NRSC, told the Associated Press today that it's best for the Republican Party if Craig steps down. He follows three Republicans in Congress who yesterday demanded Craig resign. Party leaders in the Senate also forced him to relinquish his committee leadership posts.

Cable television networks MSNBC and CNN played a recording of a police officer's questioning of Craig after the incident on June 11.

``Did our feet come together? Apparently they did bump,'' Craig told the officer on the recording, though he insisted he did nothing wrong. ``I don't seek activity in bathrooms,'' the senator said. ``You saw something that didn't happen.''

``I'm just disappointed in you, sir,'' the officer said to Craig on the recording.

Craig, 62, was deciding whether to seek re-election before his arrest, and since has become the target of jokes, putting his immediate political future in doubt, said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster and strategist. In defending himself, Craig denied being gay.

`Out of the Question'

``His re-election is clearly out of the question, the only question is whether he can serve out the remainder of his term,'' Ayres said. ``It's never good to become a laughingstock if you're trying to hang on to political office.''

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called the incident ``disgusting.'' Arizona Senator John McCain, who is also seeking the party's presidential nomination, said Craig's guilty plea should end his congressional career.

``When you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve,'' McCain said yesterday on CNN.

Republican Representative Pete Hoekstra of Michigan and Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota also called for Craig's resignation.

``I believe his conduct throughout this matter has been inappropriate for a U.S. senator,'' Hoekstra said in a written statement. Coleman said Craig ``pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator. He should resign.''

Contribution

Coleman won't keep the $2,500 that Craig's political action committee donated to his re-election campaign in June and will likely give the money to charity, said Cullen Sheehan, a spokesman for the Coleman Senate Campaign.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine also won't keep her $2,500 contribution from Craig's PAC, though she did not call for his resignation, according to her spokeswoman Jen Burita.

At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino today said, ``We want this to be resolved quickly. That would be in the best interests of the U.S. Senate and the people of Idaho.''

Perino, questioned by reporters, declined to say whether the president thinks Craig should resign. ``I'm going to leave it where I did,'' she said. ``This whole matter is one of disappointment.''

A SurveyUSA poll conducted two days ago found that 55 percent of Idaho adults think Craig should resign, and today Idaho's largest newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, called for the senator's resignation.

Should Craig resign, Idaho Governor Butch Otter would appoint someone to fill the seat until the 2008 election.

Democratic Win Unlikely

Craig's seat is unlikely to be taken by the Democrats in heavily Republican Idaho: President George W. Bush received 68 percent of the vote there in 2004 and all four members of the congressional delegation are Republican.

Still, Craig's troubles add to a list of Republican embarrassments, including Louisiana Senator David Vitter's public apology after his phone number was linked to a Washington escort service, and Alaska Senator Ted Stevens's acknowledgement that he is under an FBI corruption probe.

``David Vitter seems to have survived, but David Vitter also hasn't pled guilty to a misdemeanor either,'' said Ayres.

``You have a Republican Party that wants to endorse family values, that wants to position itself in contrast to Democrats on values issues,'' said Robert Holsworth, director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. ``As long as Craig is there, the party worries that it remains vulnerable to a charge of hypocrisy.''

22 Republican Seats

Craig's is one of 22 Republican-held Senate seats up for election next year, compared with 12 Democrat-held seats. Democrats now control the Senate 51-49.

Christian and Republican groups joined in the calls for resignation.

``I would strongly urge him to step down,'' said Gary Bauer, the president of American Values, an Arlington, Virginia-based family advocacy group. ``I just cannot imagine under what circumstances he can clear this up.''

``The time has definitely come for him to resign,'' said Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay advocacy group. ``I don't see how he can continue serving.''

Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs, Colorado-based ministry, said Craig ``ought to listen seriously to those who are calling for him to step down.''

Democrats have remained silent and few Republican officials have come to his defense.

Disorderly Conduct

Craig was arrested by a police officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a bathroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and paid a fine.

Craig, who is married and the father of three children, said at a press conference this week that he had done nothing wrong in the restroom incident and denied being homosexual.

``Let me be clear, I am not gay, I have never been gay,'' Craig said at the Aug. 28 press conference in Boise.

Craig said he would decide next month whether to seek re- election and that he believed he could still be an effective leader.

Craig yesterday complied with a request from the Senate Republican leadership to temporarily step down as the ranking member on three committees, including the Veteran Affairs panel.

``This is not a decision we take lightly, but we believe this is in the best interest of the Senate until this situation is resolved by the Ethics Committee,'' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Trent Lott of Mississippi said in a statement.

Lott, in an interview, called the situation ``sad'' and ``unfortunate,'' while stopping short of calling for Craig's resignation. ``I think so far we have done what's appropriate,'' he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Julianna Goldman in Washington at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net; Lorraine Woellert in Washington at lowellert@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 30, 2007 18:07 EDT