Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Members of Congress applauded as Senator Mark Kirk, second from right, walked up the stairs on Thursday to the Senate door. Mr. Kirk had been recovering from a stroke he suffered last January.
WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio was re-elected speaker of the House on Thursday despite some unrest among Republicans about his handling of the fiscal negotiations with the White House and his decision to call off a vote on hurricane relief.
As the 113th Congress convened just after noon, Mr. Boehner weathered some protest votes from the rank and file to defeat Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, by a vote of 220 to 192. Other candidates drew a total of 14 votes.
But in a long, pomp-filled roll call vote, nine Republicans voted against Mr. Boehner, and a handful of members refused to vote, signaling that divisions among House Republicans would continue from the 112th Congress into the 113th.
Some Republican conservatives registered their disapproval with the speaker by voting for others like Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 House Republican, as well as Allen West, the fiery conservative from Florida who lost his seat in the November election.
“I think it was a vote of no confidence,” said Representative Tim Huelskamp, Republican of Kansas, who voted for Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a conservative Republican. “In this town the intimidation was intense. There were a lot of members who wanted to vote no.”
Mr. Boehner was nominated for a second term as speaker by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the Republican conference chairwoman, who predicted that he would lead the new Congress to tackle overhauls of the tax code, immigration laws and entitlements.
“What does he advise?” she asked of the man she hailed as a “regular guy.” “Don’t kick the can down the road.”
The day opened with wishes for more comity and cooperation. But partisan battles were already brewing on issues like same-sex marriage, gun control, welfare programs and Medicare.
With Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. presiding, the Senate convened and swore in 13 new members and witnessed the return of Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, who had been away for a year recovering from a stroke. Among those joining the Senate was former Representative Tim Scott of South Carolina, a Republican who replaced Jim DeMint. He is the only black member of the Senate, whose ranks of female members grew.
Senate Democrats, their majority rising by two to 55, stepped away from a threat to immediately ram through new rules to limit the power of Republicans to filibuster with a simple majority vote.
As a result, the first day of the 113th Congress is likely to be noted for what did not happen — a coup in the House, an unprecedented power play in the Senate — than what did.
But Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, promised to keep his options open as he continues negotiating with Republicans in search of a bipartisan agreement on new rules to unstick the sclerotic Senate. And the House is expected to adopt rules changes to shift the emphasis to shrinking the government.
The House gaveled to a close the 112th Congress three minutes before noon to make way for the new session. Given the fight over the fiscal crisis that lasted right up until the end, lawmakers were conducting business almost to the final minute.
And there is plenty ahead for the newly constituted House and Senate.
Looming in the near future are showdowns between the Republican House and President Obama over raising the government’s statutory borrowing limit in February and the expiration in March of a stopgap spending measure financing the government. In both instances, Republicans have vowed not to cooperate unless federal spending is cut sharply and work begins to shrink entitlement programs like Medicare. Mr. Obama has been just as adamant in saying he is not prepared to negotiate over the full faith and credit of the United States government, which would be threatened if Congress refuses to raise the debt ceiling.
Boehner Re-Elected Speaker Despite Dissent
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Boehner Re-Elected Speaker Despite Dissent
