Meet the Longshot Candidates Who Lost to John Boehner
House Republicans unhappy with Speaker John Boehner had no lack of options for a protest vote. Officially, there were three conservatives running longshot campaigns against the Ohio Republican. But thanks to a constitutional quirk that the Speaker doesn't even have to be a House member, they could pretty much vote for whomever they wanted. And they did. Here's a quick look at some of the names that got at least one vote for Speaker of the House before Boehner ultimately prevailed Tuesday, Rep. Ted Yoho Only in his second term, the Florida Republican was the first conservative to offer himself up as an alternative to Boehner. He got two votes, including one from himself. Rep. Louie Gohmert The Texas Republican led the most visible campaign for speaker, but his penchant for putting conservative ideas into easily ridiculed soundbites cost him some support. Including himself, he got three votes. Rep. Daniel Webster The low-profile Florida Republican was a late-breaking addition to the race and seemed to function as a placeholder for Boehner critics. He did the best, getting 12 votes, including himself. Rep. Jim Jordan The Ohio Republican got two votes from other lawmakers. But while he voted against Boehner in 2013, he came around this time and backed the incumbent. Sen. Rand Paul The Kentucky Republican isn't even a member of the House, but he's got at least one fan. Paul was the only potential 2016 contender to get a token vote for Speaker. Also receiving votes Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who each got one. Among Democrats, Reps. John Lewis of Georgia, Peter DeFazio of Oregon, Jim Cooper of Tennessee and former Secretary of State Colin Powell each got one protest vote.