Labrador: I led effort to oust Boehner in ’13

Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) on Tuesday said he tried to rally Republicans against Speaker John Boehner’s reelection in 2013, making his remarks hours after voting for the Ohio lawmaker to continue his Speakership in the 114th Congress.

“In 2013, I led the effort to oust Speaker Boehner from his leadership post. At that time, we had sufficient votes to be successful, but at the last minute, several members changed their votes to support Boehner,” he said in a statement.

{mosads}The Idaho Republican said he made a “difficult decision” in casting his vote for Boehner, a move that deeply angered many of his constituents.

“This year was different — even after 25 Republicans opposed the Speaker, we still needed 12 more votes. The votes were simply not there to defeat the Speaker. I think it is unwise to marginalize yourself when there is no chance of victory, which was the case today.”

He emphasized that his vote “is not an endorsement” of Boehner’s past leadership and that he will continue “to fight for the American people and hold our leadership accountable.”

“Before I cast my vote for Mr. Boehner, I spoke with him multiple times,” Labrador said. “He assured me that he wants to change the way the House is run. He cited my successful efforts last August in bringing conservatives together to pass two bills that would have secured the border and prevented Obama’s illegal executive actions.”  

With 216 votes, Boehner was elected to a third term as Speaker on Tuesday, with 25 Republicans defecting in a failed attempt to force a second ballot.  

Labrador was one of the dozen of members who didn’t endorse Boehner’s second term in January 2013. He abstained from voting while nine Republicans voted for someone other than Boehner and another voted present.