Boehner Casts His Bid To Remain GOP Leader

Ohio Rep. John A. Boehner launched his bid Wednesday morning to lead House Republicans in the next Congress, casting his reelection in defiant terms despite the Democrats' overwhelming success the night before.

The Republican leader acknowledged that those results are "deeply disappointing," as Democrats look likely to pick up more than 20 seats in the House. But he had a message for people who would like to see Republicans "surrender" and "give the new administration and the Democratic leaders of Congress a free pass":

"It ain't gonna happen," Boehner wrote colleagues in a letter distributed Wednesday. "It must not happen."

Despite Barack Obama's decisive win Tuesday night, Boehner argues that "America remains a center-right country."

"Democrats should not make the mistake of viewing Tuesday’s results as a repudiation of conservatism or a validation of big government," he says in the letter. "Neither should we." 

The losses were not as bad as many expected, but Boehner makes his argument for the party in the face of exit polling from Tuesday night that suggests voters clearly rejected Republican governance, especially in the person of President George W. Bush. Congressional Republicans are eager to escape that long shadow, and Boehner acknowledged that "the 2008 election turned out to be every bit as tough for Republicans as we thought it could be."

The Republican leader is not expected to face serious competition for his post, but he would preside over a much smaller minority. In addition, he could count potential rivals as his number two and three in the elected leadership, should Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor succeed current party Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling fill the conference chairmanship after Florida Rep. Adam Putnam abruptly vacated it Tuesday night.

With that dynamic in mind, Boehner encourages Republicans to "unshackle ourselves fully from the errors of the past," applauding his colleagues' ability to "roll up [their] sleeves" in the last Congress to fight moves withdrawing troops from Iraq, increase spending and maintain a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling.

"We have not yet convinced the American people that Republicans have returned to our roots as the party of reform," Boehner wrote colleagues. "We haven’t yet earned their trust. But we will."

The full text of the letter is below.
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