Paul Ryan re-elected speaker of US’ house of reps

Paul Ryan has been re-elected speaker of the United States house of representatives.

Ryan, who polled 239 votes to defeat Daniel Webster, his rival, who had 189 votes, won the support of all but one member of his party.

Nine Republicans had voted against Ryan in protest in October 2015 when he succeeded John Boehner as speaker.

Nancy Pelosi, house minority leader, also won another term. Only four Democrats voted against her.

In remarks after his election, Ryan acknowledged the swell of voter anger that helped Donald Trump win the White House in November.

“It’s no secret that millions and millions of Americans across this country are deeply dissatisfied with their current situation,” Ryan said.

“They have let up a great roar. Now we, their elected representatives, must listen.”

He pledged to Democrats that he would uphold their rights as the party in the minority. And he told Republicans they must not squander their “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity controlling all of Congress and, later this month, the presidency.

“The people have given us unified government—and it wasn’t because they were feeling generous,” he said.

“It was because they wanted results.”

The vote came shortly after house Republicans undertook and then abandoned an effort to curb the independence of a nonpartisan ethics board, which GOP lawmakers had moved to approve over Ryan’s objections.

Republicans had approved the ethics change Monday night but reversed course amid a wide backlash, a distraction on a day that GOP leaders had hoped would focus attention on their governing agenda.

Ryan, who will turn 47-years-old later this month, will lead a house in which Republicans hold 241 seats, compared with 194 seats held by Democrats.

The GOP suffered a net loss of six seats in November elections, far fewer than many had expected.