Opposition is building in the House of Representatives to President Bush’s proposal to sell $20 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia, but most presidential candidates and party leaders are keeping mum or shying away from the nascent effort to block the transaction.

So far, only two presidential candidates have declared their opposition to the sale: a former senator from North Carolina, John Edwards, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. Both are Democrats.

The leading Democratic hopeful, Senator Clinton, and the leading Republican contender, Mayor Giuliani, have not expressed a view on the proposed deal, which was disclosed Monday by Secretary of State Rice as she began a trip to Saudi Arabia. A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton said she still had no statement on the issue. A spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani did not respond to two e-mail messages and a phone call seeking his position. Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat of New York, boasted yesterday that 114 House members have signed a letter vowing to support a resolution that would scuttle the sale. Top House leaders have been silent on the issue. However, a Chicago congressman who is a key adviser to the Democratic leadership, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, has joined the coalition opposing the sale.

One long-shot contender for the Republican nomination, Senator Brownback of Kansas, seemed to endorse the planned sale to Saudi Arabia as an attempt to counter the looming danger posed by the mullahs in Iran.

“Arms sales are an appropriate response to the growing threat Iran poses to the region. That said, the Administration must do more to address the Saudi government’s propagation of Islamic extremism, violation of basic human rights, and support for elements of the Iraqi insurgency,” Mr. Brownback said in a statement issued to The New York Sun yesterday.

A former Massachusetts governor who is seeking the GOP nod, Mitt Romney, also cited Iran in explaining his openness to the transaction. In a statement Wednesday night, he called Saudi Arabia “an important strategic ally” of America and said one common interest was trying to derail Iran’s nuclear program. “However, prior to a sale of advanced military armaments, it is essential that we reach an understanding with the Saudi government that it will not undermine the elected Iraqi government, that it will support the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and that it will not fund Wahhabi schools and mosques that are shown to be incubators of terror.” Two Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Biden of Delaware and Obama of Illinois, have made statements that did not take a clear position for or against the proposed sale.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Olmert signaled that Israel had acquiesced to the deal. However, Israeli officials have since retreated somewhat from his remarks.

American officials had extensive talks with their Israeli counterparts prior to floating the proposed sale, a person familiar with the situation said yesterday. The specific list of weapons to be sold to the Saudis has not been disclosed.

In past arms sales to Egypt and Jordan, America has agreed to require conditions to make the weaponry less of a threat to Israel. One Israel supporter in Washington closely following discussions on the Saudi deal said he expected that it would proceed without much resistance after similar protections are put in place. “It’s no AWACS,” the advocate said, referring to a major congressional battle in 1981 over the sale of high-tech airborne surveillance aircraft to the Saudis.