http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/john-boehner-house-speaker-vote-113992.htmlHours before vote, small GOP opposition to John Boehner grows
By Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan
1/6/15 9:47 AM EST
Updated 1/6/15 10:36 AM EST
Fifteen House Republicans have now publicly proclaimed that they will try to strip John Boehner of a third term as speaker of the House.
That’s well short of the number needed to push the public election into full chaos, but House Republican leadership is closely monitoring every movement at this stage, and working to shore up support for the Ohio Republican.
As many as 35 Republicans can vote against Boehner and he could still retain the speaker’s gavel, according to the latest estimate of members who will be present and voting for a speaker candidate, giving GOP rebels some leeway to oppose him.
Boehner’s opposition grew Tuesday morning just a few hours before the vote. Michigan Rep. Justin Amash wrote on Facebook that he would “vote for a new speaker” after eight years of Boehner as leader. In 2013, Amash voted for Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador for speaker. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), who originally signaled he would vote for Boehner, will oppose him, he announced — he voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in 2013. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) joined the “no” list on Tuesday morning. And Texas Rep. Randy Weber, who voted for Boehner in 2013, said he would throw his support behind his fellow Texan, Rep. Louie Gohmert.
“Let’s all get behind Judge Louie Gohmert for Speaker!” Weber wrote on Twitter. “He has my vote! He’s not afraid to take the fight to the president & his veto pen!” Florida Rep. Curt Clawson, who replaced Trey Radel after he was arrested for cocaine possession, will also vote against Boehner.
Boehner’s allies — including the GOP leadership — believe they have the support for Boehner to remain speaker, although they concede that they could lose between 15 and 20 Republicans. There is concern that the opposition could balloon on the House floor. Races like this are unpredictable.
In order to secure a third term as speaker, Boehner needs to secure the majority of the votes of those lawmakers present and voting for any candidate for speaker. At this point, it’s not clear what that threshold will be due to member absences and weather-related travel problems.
At least 12 House Democrats will be in Manhattan attending Mario Cuomo’s funeral Tuesday in Manhattan. Another “handful” of Democrats are already planning to skip the vote, and that number could grow much larger, according to Democratic insiders. But every Democrat who skips the speaker vote helps lower the threshold for Boehner to be reelected.
Air travel is already slowed as well. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is holding aircraft at their destination until 10 a.m., and is experiencing delays of between 15 and 30 minutes for flights already in the air. GOP leadership has no plans to delay the vote, sources said.
Republican dissenters who are here have been plotting to oust Boehner. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie told reporters he planned to work Monday night to deny Boehner’s re-election. Almost no one believes that the two declared candidates – Gohmert and Florida Rep. Ted Yoho – will be the next speaker. But the anti-Boehner group thinks if it pushes the election to a second ballot, they could sweep Boehner aside and find a new speaker. If the vote goes to a second ballot, absolute chaos could ensue. Boehner has enough allies — upwards of 100 — who have privately vowed they will never vote for another candidate for speaker besides Boehner. That would make a so-called compromise candidate almost impossible to elect. Many of Boehner’s allies have said for months that they will keep voting for Boehner until the opposition subsides.
Several sources said Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman is helping lead the effort to push the vote to a second ballot – neither he nor his chief of staff responded to several emails. Others members involved with trying to push Boehner out include Virginia Rep. Dave Brat, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Iowa Rep. Steve King, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Bridenstine, North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones and freshman Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer.
