A handful of conservative congressmen are reportedly plotting against Boehner as speaker

A handful of conservative congressmen are reportedly plotting against Boehner as speaker
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

If every member of the House of Representatives participates in the official speaker's election on January 6, John Boehner (R-Ohio) will need the support of 218 people to hold onto the top job in Congress. That means it would only take 30 Republicans to deny him the vote. And while it's a long shot, a handful of conservative congressmen are threatening to do exactly that, the Daily Caller reports.

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said earlier this month that he was meeting with a small group of about 16 or 18 disgruntled Republicans who would like to see Boehner ousted. According to the Caller, the potential GOP defectors "are mostly keeping quiet about it in public, but in a posting on Twitter over the weekend, Kentucky Rep. Tom Massie posted a photo of a sign that reads: 'Next Speaker Please.'"

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Teresa Mull