Though today’s vote for House Speaker was all but assured to break in Rep. John Boehner’s (R-OH) favor after the midterm elections, it nonetheless managed to be dramatic for new Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Freed to cast symbolic votes against the soon-to-be-former Speaker, 19 of her fellow Democrats cast protest votes against her. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), who led a movement to deny Pelosi the leadership slot after the election, didn’t vote at all.
Conservative Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), who announced his run for Minority Leader before Pelosi even made her decision, garnered 11 votes, including his own. Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire (PA), Dan Boren (OK), Jim Cooper (TN), Joe Donnelly (IN), Tim Holden (PA), Larry Kissell (NC), Mike McIntyre (NC), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike Michaud (ME) and Mike Ross (AR) joined him.
Other Democrats voted more randomly: Reps. John Barrow (GA) and Gabrielle Giffords (AZ) voted for Rep. John Lewis (D-GA); Reps. Dennis Cardoza (CA) and Jim Costa (CA) voted for one another; Rep. Ron Kind (WI) voted for Rep. Jim Cooper; Rep. Daniel Lipinski (IL) voted for Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); and Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR) voted for now-Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MC). Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) voted only “present.”
Additional reporting by Brian Beutler.
[Correction: This post originally incorrectly listed Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) as voting “present.” In fact it was Stanford Bishop (D-GA) who voted “present”. Tim Bishop voted for Pelosi. We regret the error.]
