Rep. Thomas Foley, D-Wash., was elected speaker of the House Tuesday, succeeding Rep. Jim Wright, D-Texas, the first man driven from the nation's third-highest office by scandal.
The House voted along party lines as expected after Foley, 60, was nominated by fellow majority Democrats in a morning caucus against the token Republican challenge of minority leader Robert Michel of Illinois.The vote was 251-164, with 17 representatives not voting and a vacancy left from last week's death of Rep. Claude Pepper, D-Fla. Foley and Michel merely voted "present" when their names were called.
Foley, a low-key, 25-year congressional veteran who succeeded Wright in the No. 2 post of House Democratic leader in 1987, told colleagues in the private morning caucus that they must put the recent ethical turmoil on Capitol Hill behind them in order to govern.
"He said he would do his best to make sure the people knew the House of Representatives is the finest democratic institution in the world and we were a beacon of hope to the people of the world," Rep. Dan Glickman, D-Kan., told reporters afterward. Foley was "very generous" to Wright, Glickman added.
Michel told fellow Republicans in their own nominating caucus, however, that Democrats have abused four decades of majority power in the House and there must be significant reforms.
"The House has been corrupted by the absolute power of one-party domination and it isn't going to be cured by a personality transplant," he said. "What is wrong with the House today includes but also transcends the sins and errors and ethical lapses of individual members."
Wright, 66, the 48th man in history to hold the office that puts the speaker second in line for the presidency, held it for only 2 1/2 years before tumbling in the face of charges he violated House ethics rules.
He announced last week he would resign as speaker when a successor was chosen and would resign by the end of the month from the seat he has held since 1955 representing the area of Fort Worth, Texas.
Wright, the day before he was to step down, told reporters the Congress can not expect to solve its problems merely by rewriting its ethics rules.
Wright said he has not decided what he will do after leaving Congress, but he looks forward to having more time for himself.
"I hope to live at a somewhat more normal pace," he said during an impromptu meeting with reporters.
Despite the certainty of his becoming speaker, Foley spent much of his time Monday calling fellow Democrats to ask for their support.