(Newser)
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Nancy Pelosi won the position of House minority leader today, but her uphill battle to retain a leadership role revealed a fierce split within the Democratic party, Politico reports. The vote (150-43) was far from unanimous, with the opposition holding Pelosi responsible for Democrats' crushing defeat in the midterms. "She is the face that defeated us in this last election," summed up Allen Boyd, a defeated Florida Democrat. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans, as expected, unanimously elected John Boehner to fill her role as House speaker. More details on that vote here.
Two days of closed meetings among Democrats revealed the deep divisions within the party over Pelosi's tenure, insiders say. Pelosi's main challenger was Heath Shuler of North Carolina, who had pushed for change following the defeat. “When you have taken the largest losses of any majority in a lifetime, then I think a little time for reflection to better understand the reason for those losses,” said Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat who had pushed to delay the vote.
