One of the two Republicans pledging to challenge the re-election of House Speaker John Boehner said conservatives are rounding up the 29 votes needed to defeat him.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told Laura Ingraham on her radio show that the effort to overthrow Boehner stands a better chance than a failed coup in 2012 because this time, disgruntled GOP lawmakers have another choice.
“I was persuaded by some of my newer colleagues in the Congress that people have to have a name,” Gohmert said. “My friends persuaded me the mistake we made last time was not having [lawmakers] commit to specific people.”
The House on Tuesday will vote to elect the speaker for the 114th Congress, which convenes at noon.
A simple majority of the entire House, 218 votes, is needed. For Republicans, that means they can lose no more than 28 of their 246-member conference.
In addition to Gohmert, Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., announced he is also running against Boehner.
Gohmert and Yoho represent a deeply conservative flank made up of dozens of Republicans, many of them backed by the Tea Party, who are angry about the GOP leadership’s stewardship on spending, immigration and other issues.
Many of them voted against a December spending bill, known as the “cromnibus,” that conservatives said was too costly and failed to curb the president’s ability to implement a unilateral directive to provide work permits and federal benefits to more than 5 million illegal immigrants.
Gohmert said the effort to dethrone Boehner in 2012 was closer than many realized and that only at the last minute did a handful of Boehner opponents back down, thwarting the coup.
“John Boehner came within two hours of losing the speakership,” Gohmert said. “It was so close, I was surprised he would even try again.”
