By Edward Epstein, CQ Staff

The House doesn’t plan to vote on a new Senate version of the $700 billion financial bailout legislation until Friday, Majority Whip James E. Clyburn has told members.

Several House sources said Democratic members also were told that their caucus will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss the measure the Senate is expected to vote on tonight.

The bipartisan Senate measure was hammered together after the House fell short of passing its own controversial bill (HR 3997) on Monday by a vote of 205 to 228.

The House had been expected back on Thursday to vote on the Senate plan, which will include a number of provisions that senators believe will move more House members to support it. The Democratic leadership delivered 66 percent of its caucus during the vote earlier this week. The meeting Thursday evening is aimed at widening that margin on the Senate version.

Some political observers, however, speculated that the House vote was put off until Friday so it wouldn’t overshadow the much ballyhooed vice presidential debate Thursday night between Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Republican Sarah Palin .