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Lungren seeks to oust Boehner |
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By Jackie Kucinich
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Posted: 11/14/08 02:41 PM [ET] |
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Rep. Dan Lungren announced Friday that he will challenge Rep. John Boehner for House Republican leader.
In a letter to his colleagues, Lungren wrote that he thought the Republican Party is headed in the wrong direction and would continue to face electoral defeats unless major changes are made.
“If we don’t admit our difficulties and address them aggressively, we not only run the risk of becoming a permanent congressional minority but we will do a disservice to our nation,” Lungren wrote. “If we choose by inaction to ignore the real challenges we face, then paraphrasing President Reagan, we deserve to be regulated to the trash heap of history.”
Lungren (Calif.) is considered a long shot to unseat Boehner (Ohio), who moved quickly after last week's election to shore up support in the GOP Conference.
“Dan Lungren is a respected member of our conference and a man deeply committed to the principles that have defined our party since the beginning,” Boehner said on Friday.
The 62-year-old Californian earlier this week indicated he was weighing a bid, but some on Capitol Hill believed he would not opt to challenge Boehner because he lacks the votes.
Furthermore, successful leadership bids are usually announced right after an election. Lungren waited 10 days to make his announcement.
In addition to asking for their support, Lungren proposed a three-hour closed-door meeting devoted to the election of the Republican leader. In order to suspend the rules of “regular order” to have this proposed discussion, a majority of the conference must agree to do so.
Regular order was suspended during the leadership race for majority leader, following the resignation of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas).
After House Republicans lost 30 seats in 2006, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) challenged Boehner but was easily defeated, 168-27.
This is not the first time Lungren has sought a leadership position.
In 2006, he lost a four-way race for Conference chairman to Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), who will step down from the number three House GOP position this year.
Lungren did not publicly support Boehner, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) or John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) when the three lawmakers ran for majority leader in 2006. Lungren noted in his letter that he voted for Boehner in that race as well as his contest against Pence.
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