Boehner wins reelection as speaker, but not without opposition

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, won his bid to be Speaker of the House for two more years, but a more-than-expected 25 of his fellow Republicans voted against him.

Boehner was able to survive the challenge from the right flank of his party, netting 216 out of 408 votes cast. (Because of the 408 voting, Boehner needed 205 votes instead of the 218 that would be a majority when a full 435 members are present.)

The 25 voting against Boehner is the highest number opposing a likely speaker from either party since 1923.

The opposition from a small but vocal minority highlights the ongoing challenge facing Boehner and his leadership team: despite a massive majority gained in the 2014 midterm elections, there may be times again — when the hard right sees the speaker as too willing to comprise — when they have trouble passing legislation without Democratic help.

A handful of hardline Republicans received what amounted to protest votes. Rep. Daniel Webster, a freshman Republican from Florida, received 12 votes. Others receiving votes included Reps. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. But the votes weren’t limited to other House members. Republican Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Rand Paul of Kentucky as well as former Secretary of State Colin Powell also received one vote each.

Two years ago, 12 Republicans voted against Boehner. But a bigger majority, and the fact that several House members were absent, meant Boehner could afford to lose more members without losing his position.

Members in the House chamber chuckled collectively when another conservative, Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fl., voted for himself.

“Yoho?” asked the House Clerk.

“Yoho,” he replied.

Despite the opposition, when the hour-long process was over, Boehner received a standing ovation from the overwhelming majority of the near-record-setting 246 members who voted for him.

New members absorbed the intensity of taking their first vote — Reps. Mimi Walters, R-Calif. and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., both freshmen, congratulated each other in their seats after voting for Boehner.

Boehner, true to form, fought back tears as he accepted his election in front of the House.

“This won’t be done in a tidy way, but the battle of ideas never ends, and never should,” Boehner said during his opening remarks, referencing recent gridlock in Congress. “I ask that we disagree without being disagreeable.”

The House went into recess in December amid a conservative backlash against President Barack Obama’s executive action on illegal immigration, a conflict that forced Congress to remain in session for an extended period to avoid another government shutdown. Some of the same members, who voted against Boehner Tuesday, are upset the House did not do enough to stop the president on the issue.

The GOP faces the challenge of uniting its party while pushing changes to the Affordable Care Act and a key Republican priority, construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The House is set to vote on the pipeline Friday.

As Boehner waited for the outcome of the speaker election, the White House signaled the president would veto any Keystone legislation.