Ky.'s Massie among dissenting Republicans who voted against Boehner for Speaker

Kentucky 4th District U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie was among nine Republicans on Thursday who picked someone other than John Boehner to be U.S. House Speaker for the 113th Congress.

Massie, of Vanceburg, voted for U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a Michigan Republican who is perhaps best known for being removed by Republican leadership from the House budget committee for the new Congress.

Politico described Massie and the other eight dissenting as an “eclectic group of rookies and backbench conservatives who live a largely off-the-grid political existence, situated outside establishment and sometimes even mainstream conservative boundaries.”

The Politico article also mentioned that both Massie and Amash were “acolytes” of former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, father of Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

Massie is just starting his first full term in Congress but isn’t a true rookie. He was sworn in a week after winning the November election to replace former Republican Congressman Geoff Davis, who resigned in July for family health reasons. House Republican leaders awarded Massie seats on three committees: transportation, government oversight and science and technology. Massie said in December he was pleased with those assignments given his background and the needs of the 4th District that covers Northern Kentucky.

Even with those nine and four other Republicans not making a pick in the Speaker’s race, Boehner retains the Speaker’s gavel.