Boehner wins another term as House speaker; Sen. Rand Paul gets vote

SHARE Boehner wins another term as House speaker; Sen. Rand Paul gets vote
BOEHNER_CONGRESS_SPENDING_50736861_999x690.jpg

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. | AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

WASHINGTON  — The House has re-elected John Boehner to be speaker in the new Republican-led Congress, despite opposition by tea party lawmakers that underscored party divisions.The Ohio Republican garnered the votes of 216 GOP lawmakers as Congress convened Tuesday. That was enough for him to win a third two-year term leading the House.

But in an embarrassing slap, 25 Republicans voted for other candidates or voted present. They consider Boehner to be too accommodating and not conservative enough.

Some unlikely suspects also received votes.

Their repudiation of Boehner was an awkward display of GOP schisms at a time when party leaders want to show voters that they can govern effectively. They want to show they won’t be forced by tea party legislators into unwinnable, unpopular showdowns with President Barack Obama.

Boehner received 216 of the 408 votes cast. Under the Constitution, the speaker does not have to be a member of the House.

In 2013, Boehner received 220 votes, with 12 Republicans voting against him.

Here are the people who received votes and the vote totals from Tuesday:

—216. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

—164. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

—12. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla.

—3. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.

—2. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla.

—2. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

—1. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.

—1. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.

—1. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.

—1. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

—1. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

—1. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

—1. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

—1. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

—1. Colin Powell, former secretary of State.

—1. Present

ALAN FRAM, Associated Press


The Latest
The funds will help target a big problem for a city opening its doors to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention in August. Just 17.94% of registered voters in suburban Cook County and 25.7% of registered voters in Chicago voted in person or by mail in the March 19 primary.
Playing time has dwindled for Tinordi, a physical defensive defenseman who was a pleasant surprise for the Hawks last season but hasn’t found nearly as much success without Connor Murphy.
His surgeons spent 10 hours transplanting his new lungs and liver in September. Six months after the operation, Dr. Gary Gibbon remains cancer-free, able to breathe on his own and celebrated his 69th birthday on Wednesday.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
The lawsuit challenges Illinois’ counting of mail-in-ballots after election day, and has potential impact in this presidential election year.