Boehner defeated frontrunner Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri 122-109 after vowing to revive GOP spirits and political fortunes in the wake of the federal corruption investigation involving Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Boehner said his experience as chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee illustrated his ability to pass major legislation.
Blunt, who had been a temporary stand-in for DeLay, will continue to serve as majority whip, or third in the leadership chain.
After the vote, Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called Boehner a "fresh face."
"It wouldn't be credible for the same leaders to be advocating change," he said, adding that he hoped Blunt would stay on as whip, according to the Associated Press.
The House GOP election was the most contested since the upheaval that followed ethics allegations and election losses in 1998. The GOP is hoping to avoid political reversals in midterm elections this year as it contends with new ethics problems.
Democrats watched the election with interest.
"No matter who Republicans elect, it's easy to show they're supporting more of the same ... part of the same pay-to-play system that's made Washington the mess that it is right now," said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the House Democratic campaign organization, quoted the AP.
Boehner had a leadership position in 1994, but he and DeLay soon clashed and Boehner lost his leadership post four years later. Boehner became chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee in 2001, and he helped guide President Bush's No Child Left Behind law through the House.
DeLay, who has denied any wrongdoing, is awaiting trial in Texas on campaign finance charges.
-- Compiled from wire reports and other media sources
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February 2, 2006, 2:45pm EST
