Without the drama present within the Democratic side of the aisle, Republicans elected John Boehner as the next Speaker of the House.
The unanimous voice vote came in a closed-door conference meeting in the Longworth House Office building. The two-decade veteran of Congress from western Ohio saw no opposition and he will ascend to the top perch in the House when Republicans officially take control in January. Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, two of Boehner's best friends from their days in the House, came to Longworth for the nomination.
It was a good day for Boehner. A big job confirmed and birthday cake, too.
After he was given the nod as speaker, two aides rolled out a green birthday cake to wish Boehner a happy birthday on his 61st He was elected the 61st Speaker of the House on his 61st birthday. Nice.
Also announced was Eric Cantor's election as majority leader and Kevin McCarthy as majority whip.
Republican Conference chair is Jeb Hensarling - who made headlines for his contested race with Michelle Bachmann. Freshmen Elected Leadership Committee slots were filled by Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Tim Scott of South Carolina.
This is a statement from Boehner on his Facebook page about his election:
I'm honored to have been elected by my colleagues to be Speaker-designate for the 112th Congress. Our new majority - forged by a movement that has repudiated Washington - will be humbler, wiser, & more focused on the priorities of the people. Americans want a smaller, less costly, more accountable government; more jobs... & less spending. Our team, anchored by more than 80 new members, will fight to make it happen.
Sounds good.
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