John Boehner Is Re-Elected House Speaker

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was re-elected House speaker today despite an attempt by a small group of his fellow Republicans to deny him a third term.

NPR's Shirish Date tells us that Boehner was helped by a larger GOP majority than in the previous Congress, as well the absence of a number of Democrats who were attending the funeral of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Of the 408 votes cast today, Boehner got 216 and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California received 164. Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., got 12; Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, got three; Reps. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, received two each. Several others received one vote each.

At least two dozen Republicans voted against Boehner. Among those opposed to Boehner's candidacy were Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and Randy Weber of Texas.

The Washington Post reports that the opposition to Boehner is not unprecedented:

"Back in January 2013, 12 House Republicans voted for someone besides Boehner, scattering their votes between everyone from a former member of Congress, Allen West, to former U.S. comptroller general David Walker.

"It wasn't enough to dislodge Boehner, who still got six more votes than he needed."