Nancy Pelosi was elected House speaker Thursday afternoon as expected, but not without some Democratic defections — one of whom preferred someone totally unexpected.
A total of 15 Democrats voted for someone other than Pelosi, with three voting "present," per Talking Point Memo's Cameron Joseph. Everyone else voted for candidates who had not actually been nominated, with the most surprising name being tossed out by Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.): he voted for former Vice President Joe Biden.
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