WASHINGTON — In choosing Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio as the new House majority leader Thursday, Republicans sought to put a new face on a party reeling from scandals and worried about maintaining its congressional majority.
In an upset, Boehner won a tense closed-door vote that went to a second ballot.
Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the acting majority leader, had been favored to win the election. But Republicans wanting to signal a strong GOP commitment to ethics reform coalesced behind Boehner (pronounced BAY-ner).
"In the end ... we needed a course correction," Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said.
With his victory, Boehner becomes the front-runner to succeed House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) if Republicans remain in control of the chamber after the 2008 elections, when it is widely expected that Hastert will retire.
Thursday's vote was a crushing defeat for Blunt, 56, whose close ties to the former majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas, were seen as a political liability. DeLay stepped down from his party post in September after a Texas grand jury indicted him on money-laundering charges.
"Today, we put the DeLay era behind us, and we start a new era," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), an early Boehner supporter.
In campaigning for the House's No. 2 post, Boehner pledged to lead efforts to overhaul its rules to put more distance between lawmakers and lobbyists -- relationships that DeLay cultivated for the GOP.
But some critics quickly cast doubt on Boehner's credentials as a reformer, saying he could be hindered by his connections to special interest groups.
Boehner's win over Blunt "was a selection of Tweedledum over Tweedledee," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a nonprofit group advocating ethics reforms.
In brief comments after the election, Boehner said House Republicans would "rededicate ourselves to dealing with big issues that the American people expect us to deal with," such as job growth and national security.
As majority leader, he is responsible for securing House passage of the GOP agenda -- a task that could prove difficult. Since DeLay's departure as majority leader, rifts among House Republicans have widened.
Blunt, standing next to Boehner, spoke of his loss, telling reporters: "Believe me, the world goes on."
He will retain his job as majority whip, the House's No. 3 leadership position.
