Courting Conservative Members Helped Boehner Retain Leadership Post

Friday, November 21, 2008
By Josiah Ryan, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader John Boehner’s reelection on Wednesday to the top House Republican leadership post was the result of skillful political maneuvering before and after the Nov. 4 elections, Capitol Hill sources and an expert on Congress told CNSNews.com.

Boehner’s work strengthening one-on-one relationships with members and offering key leadership positions to powerful members of the House’s conservative faction, Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.), ensured that he would not face a serious challenge for his position, sources said.

The Ohio Republican's secret-ballot victory, which sources say was overwhelming, came on the heels of the second general election in which House Republicans suffered heavy losses under Boehner’s leadership.

Once the general election, in which Republicans lost at least 19 seats in the House, was over, Boehner moved swiftly to maintain his leadership position by asking rivals Pence and Cantor to fill the two leadership positions just below his own, sources told CNSNews.com.

Both Pence and Cantor, who come from the conservative bloc in the Republican Study Committee (RSC), accepted Boehner’s endorsement and were also elected on Wednesday.

Sources told CNSNews.com, however, that in the months leading up to the election, Boehner worked hard to fortify his support among his GOP colleagues by offering to meet with almost every member, and wielding his influence as their leader to help win tough races.

Danielle Doane, director of House Relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told CNSNews.com that Boehner is renowned in Congress for building and maintaining one-on-one relationships among all factions of House Republicans.

Doane also described Boehner as “very activeâ€