US News
US House Republicans make underdog their new leader
By DPA
Feb 2, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - Republicans in the US House of Representatives Thursday elected an underdog candidate to become their leader.

Representative John Boehner, 56, of Ohio, came from behind in the second ballot to defeat Roy Blunt, 56, a protege of former House majority leader Tom DeLay.

The powerful DeLay was forced by his party's internal rules to relinquish the post last year after he was indicted in a Texas fundraising probe.

This opened the door for an intense battle for the top post.

Boehner's win is seen as a rebuke of the old leadership. While DeLay has been highly effective in advancing US President Bush's agenda, many lawmakers voiced their concern over the image of their party after a string of scandals involving DeLay and other Republicans.