Outside the Beltway

John Boehner Elected Majority Leader

James Joyner · Thursday, February 2, 2006 · 5 comments

John Boehner, the number two vote getter on the first ballot and everyone’s consensus second choice, has defeated Majority Whip Roy Blunt and been elected House Majority Leader, according to GOP.gov and Mike Krempasky at RedState.

Update: AP confirms: “Rep. Boehner Elected House Majority Leader”

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was elected House majority leader Thursday to replace indicted Rep. Tom DeLay. Boehner defeated fellow Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, 122-109, after lagging behind his rival in a first, inconclusive ballot.

Boehner campaigned as a candidate of reform, and said his experience as chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee had demonstrated his ability to pass major legislation.

Blunt remains the GOP whip, third-ranking in the leadership. He been a temporary stand-in for DeLay, who is charged with campaign finance violations in Texas.

Certainly, an outcome the party can live with. One wonders what will become of John Shadegg, who finished a distant third despite the endorsement of most of the conservative punditariat. Presumably, his stature will increase, as he was a virtual unknown on a national level a month ago.

CNN gets it exactly right:

The race appeared to turn on the desire for members to present a fresh face to the public and distance themselves from Washington’s K Street, or lobbyist, community.

Blunt was a part of DeLay’s leadership team and has ties to K Street.

Around the blogs:

• Kevin Aylward: “While Boehner might not be the darling to conservatives that Shadegg was, his victory should be a refreshing change to those who think that a change from the DeLay/Blunt era needed to occur.”
• Steven Taylor: “I would have preferred Shadegg, but certainly prefer Boehner to Blunt. The Era of DeLay is now over.”
• Kevin Drum is amused that they screwed up the first first ballot.
• Steve Bainbridge pronounces this a victory for the Coalition of the Chillin’.*
• N.Z. Bear believes Boehner’s “past statements give reason for optimism.”
• Dave Price: “Boehner was much preferable to Blunt, who had been the presumptive victor.”
• Mike Krempasky: “[T]here is NO way Mr. Boehner would have won without Mr. Shadegg’s entry into the race.”
• McQ: “We hope you’ll do as you’ve said and seize the opportunity you’ve been presented to change the culture and the structure that supports it within the House to root out the endemic corruption and return it to fiscal conservatism.”
• Josh Marshall: “[E]very vote Blunt didn’t get in round one turned out to be an anti-Blunt vote — actually, plus one. On the surface the pre-vote tallies looked like Blunt winning with a wide margin. Actually, it was Blunt versus anti-Blunt. And he could never get into the lead.”

*Well, not yet. But he will!

Update: Boehner’s office has released a statement. An excerpt:

I am humbled and honored by the confidence my Republican colleagues have expressed in me with today’s vote. This afternoon, House Republicans are united behind our Speaker, eager to renew our commitment to the principles that prompted Americans to put us in the majority.

I congratulate both Roy and John on a hard-fought campaign. The three of us took what is normally the ultimate insider’s process and threw it wide-open. We took the campaign outside the halls of Congress and made the race less about ourselves and more about ideas. I look forward to working with them in the days, weeks, and months ahead to rally around our united Republican vision of freedom, opportunity, fiscal and personal responsibility, and empowered citizens.

I’m confident that down the road, we will look at the last three weeks as a turning point for House Republicans. This race provided us an important opportunity to engage in a real conversation about where we are, where we’d like to go, and what we’d like to accomplish as a majority. That conversation will not end today. In fact, it is just beginning. The problems America faces are substantial, and as a governing majority, our party must find the courage and confidence to confront them. At the same time, the opportunities our nation faces are countless, and only Republicans have the underlying trust in the American people to seize them.

The work ahead of us will not be easy. We must act swiftly to restore the trust between Congress and the American people. We must take the necessary steps to get the federal budget under control – to cut wasteful spending, reform our entitlement programs, and craft a budget process that encourages fiscal discipline. And we must recommit ourselves to reducing the influence of government in our lives. United together, I’m confident that our party can tackle the challenges before us and continue to lead the House for years to come.

Related posts in extended entry.
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Previously:

House Majority Leader Vote Liveblogging
Can John Shadegg Be Elected House Majority Leader?
Blogger Conference Call with Roy Blunt
Blogger Conference Call with John Boehner
Blogger Conference Call with John Shadegg
House Leadership Race: Restoring the Spirit of 1994
Bob Ney to Resign Chairmanship
Boehner vs. Blunt: The E-Mail Wars II
An Appeal from Center-Right Bloggers
Shadegg Enters Majority Leader Race
Boehner Pledges End to K-Street Project
Blunt v. Boehner: Blunt’s Lead Grows
Blunt vs. Boehner: The K-Street Connection
Boehner vs. Blunt: The E-Mail Wars
Fixing Congress by Restoring Conservatism
Tom DeLay Resigns Leadership Post
Judge Throws Out Tom Delay Conspiracy Charges
Leadership Thwarted in Attempt to Impose DeLay Successor
Bloggers React to DeLay Indictment
Tom Delay Indicted by Texas Grand Jury
Tom DeLay: Liar or Fool? (Stotch)
Republicans to Reverse Ethics Rules Changes: Hastert
Bush Not Seeking DeLay’s Ouster
Newt Gingrich Criticizes Tom DeLay on Ethics
Is the Cover-Up Worse than the Crime?
Democrats to Make ‘Ethics’ Key to 2006 Campaign
Conduct Unbecoming a Congressman
DeLay Appears To Be Off The Hook
GOP Pushes Rule Change To Protect DeLay’s Post
Ethics Truce Frays in House
HOT PINK LEISURE SUITS
POLITICIANS BEING POLITICAL?!
—–
Abramoff Scandal Backfiring of Republican Strategy?
Abramoff Scandal Brings New Scrutiny to Lobbying
Abramoff Bought Cato Columnist Doug Bandow
Scandals Heighten Public Concerns about Corruption