House Republicans yesterday overwhelmingly re-elected most of their top leadership despite losing about 30 seats in last week’s elections and control of the chamber.
Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio was picked to be minority leader — replacing outgoing Speaker J. Dennis Hastert as the party’s leader in the House — and Whip Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri was re-elected as Republicans regroup for life in the minority.
“I’ve pledged to them to do everything I could to bring our team together and to work hard so that we can earn our way back into the majority,” Mr. Boehner said.
“And to do that means that we need to fight for smaller, less costly and more accountable federal government,” he added, harkening back to the principles that won the House for Republicans in 1994 after 40 years in the minority.
Mr. Boehner defeated Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana in a secret ballot vote of 168-27, stepping up from the party’s No. 2 slot he had assumed in February when replaced former Texas Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader.
Mr. Blunt, who has been a part of the leadership since 1998 and had close ties to Mr. DeLay, defeated Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona 137-57, keeping his post, which in the minority ranks him as second in command.
Conservatives questioned the wisdom of staying the leadership course following a decisive defeat.
“House Republicans have decided to reward failure,” said conservative icon Richard A. Viguerie, comparing them to the “biblical Jews” who wandered the desert for 40 years.
“And Republicans are not going to get to the political promised land until they get new leaders who are principled conservatives,” he said.
John Hawkins, editor of the conservative Web site Right Wing News, voiced similar sentiment.
“If you’re looking for any evidence that the GOP learned something from the 2006 elections, you won’t find it in the results of today’s leadership elections,” Mr. Hawkins said.
He gave Mr. Boehner a pass since he hasn’t been in leadership long, but criticized Mr. Blunt as “a guy who is close to K Street, loves pork and isn’t really interested in ethics reform.”
Mr. Boehner and Mr. Blunt are charged with helping the party find legislative footing in a chamber that beginning in January will be controlled by Democrats and Republican nemesis California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker-elect.
“The leader’s staff, my staff have worked so well together the last 10 months,” Mr. Blunt said. “I look forward to seeing that continue and for our whole team to work as a unit.”
Mr. Blunt said the Nov. 7 loss was an “opportunity to redefine who we are, to provide the kind of alternatives that we want to provide, to look toward the future [and], frankly, to get rid of the bad habits that we may have developed in 12 years in the majority.”
The No. 3 position also went to a current member of leadership. Rep. Adam H. Putnam of Florida was picked to be conference chairman. Three other leadership spots went to Republicans who are new to leadership. Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma was elected chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California was optimistic about the party’s future.
“We’ve taken our punches and we’re going to keep moving forward,” he said outside the room where the secret ballots were being cast. “This is not a defeated conference. The mood in there is not that this is a beaten conference.”
Asked if Republicans had failed to get the message of “change” sent by voters in last week’s elections, Mr. Rohrabacher didn’t answer right away.
After a minute of talking, he said: “Well, there has been some change. Dennis Hastert won’t be speaker anymore.”
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