Hard to believe he was beaten?
Posted on 11/18/2006 8:46:07 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Dan Lungren's last-minute bid to become chairman of the House Republican Conference failed Friday when he came in fourth out of four members vying in the first round of balloting for the third-ranking leadership post.
All of the Republicans' leadership positions were up for election Friday, and in the aftermath of the Nov. 7 congressional elections ousting the GOP from power, most were contested. Lungren was among those advocating reforms that would give rank-and-file members a stronger voice in the policy decisions.
But when the balloting was over, the winners who will lead the conference when the 2007-2008 session convenes in January were holdovers from the current congressional session.
Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the current majority leader, was elected Republican minority leader. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., will continue as Republican whip. Rep. Adam Putman, the Florida Republican now serving as policy chairman, was elected conference chairman.
Lungren, R-Gold River, did not enter the contest until last week, and his campaign did not begin in earnest until a Tuesday speech before the conservative Heritage Foundation condemning ethical lapses and a Republican retreat from the conservative principles of smaller government and lower spending.
Lungren said he felt good about the contribution he made to the debate and believed he would have had a chance of winning had he made it into the second round of voting.
"I was everybody's second choice," Lungren said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Hard to believe he was beaten?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.