Boehner Re-Elected as House Speaker

But he suffers several GOP defections
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2013 12:51 PM CST
Boehner Re-Elected as House Speaker
Speaker of the House John Boehner passes reporters as he leaves a closed-door GOP meeting on the "fiscal cliff" Tuesday.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Those rumors of a GOP coup didn't hold up: John Boehner has been re-elected as House speaker with 220 votes, reports the Hill. Unlike his unanimous vote last term, however, 12 conservative GOP lawmakers either voted for someone else, abstained, or voted "present," reports the Washington Post. Going into the vote, some thought Boehner was on shaky ground, especially after he failed to get his fiscal cliff Plan B through the House and then ticked off key lawmakers over Hurricane Sandy relief, but he will preside over the 113th Congress. Nancy Pelosi got 192 votes.

At Slate, Dave Weigel has details on what he calls the "tiny rebellion" by the anti-Boehner camp, which nearly triggered a second ballot. It started when sophomore Michigan Rep. Justin Amash voted for fellow sophomore Raul Labrador of Idado. "The House floor filled with awkward 'Oooohs' and the occasional 'Who?'" writes Weigel. Eric Cantor, who voted for Boehner, ended up with three votes, and Allen West—who lost his bid for re-election to Congress—got two. (More John Boehner stories.)

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