Boehner Elected to Third Term as Speaker
By Matt Fuller and Emma Dumain and JM Rieger
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In a dramatic vote in which Republican dissidents staged yet another unsuccessful coup attempt, John A. Boehner was elected to a third term as speaker of the House Tuesday. Boehner won re-election with 216 of the 408 votes cast, as 25 Republicans voted for someone else or voted present in an act of protest. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi received 164 Democratic votes, with four members of her party voting for someone other than the California Democrat. In his remarks to the full House after retaking the gavel, Boehner expressed hope for a new era of cooperation and productivity. “They say nothing is going to be accomplished here, divisions are greater than ever. … Skepticism of our government is healthy and in our time quite understandable. But one problem with saying, ‘it can’t be done,’ is that it already has been done, or at least started.”