He survived the defections of 12 Republicans, with 10 voting for other conservatives and two abstaining from voting. The final vote tally was 220 for Boehner to 192 for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Boehner watched the white-knuckle vote from off the floor. It was the closest any speaker has come to not securing a first-ballot victory since Newt Gingrich's narrow reelection to a second term as speaker in January 1997, following an ethics admonishment.
The anti-Boehner faction cast its votes for a collection of Republicans, including tea party icon Allen B. West of Florida, the one-term congressman who lost his reelection bid in November. But they did not provide enough votes to topple the speaker. The position, second in the line of succession for the presidency, does not have to be held by a current member of Congress.
In an emotional speech after his victory, the speaker did not mention the unusually large bloc of opposition. However, he spoke of his own ethos of not being a showhorse getting media attention, a nod to what some GOP lawmakers have said is a big problem: the loudest Republicans opposing leadership often get the most attention.
"So if you have come here to see your name in lights or to pass off political victory as accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. The door is behind you," the speaker said, at times fighting back tears. "If you have come here humbled by the opportunity to serve; if you have come here to be the determined voice of the people; if you have come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not just by our constituents but by the times, then you have come to the right place."
Thursday's swearing-in marked a far different tone than his triumphant election two years ago, when the bulging class of 2010 propelled Republicans into the majority and allowed Boehner to accomplish his career goal of controlling the speaker's gavel.
It has been a most difficult gavel to wield at times, with his hands-off style often allowing minor rebellions to turn into larger problems.
The vote came two days after the House passed a tax plan that averted the "fiscal cliff" austerity measures that were set to begin Jan. 1, when the GOP leadership essentially ceded control of the floor to the minority. Democrats provided 171 of the yes votes and Republicans just 85 votes in support.
In that vote, the GOP leadership team spent a wild day trying to decide what to do with legislation that a clear majority of House Republicans opposed because it included tax hikes on the wealthy.
Eventually Boehner voted for the legislation — along with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee — but his top deputies, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), opposed it.
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