Anti-Boehner bloc looks for allies ahead of Speaker vote

As tensions mounted, Boehner opponents grew optimistic and felt the tide was turning in their direction, all while acknowledging the difficulties ahead. “There are a lot of members, more than a sufficient number, to pull this off,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who plans to vote against Boehner. “The only thing in our way is fear, fear by those who are worried about the repercussions of voting no. We’re doing everything we can to calm those fears.”
Massie, a libertarian, estimated that upwards of 40 Republicans are quietly open to opposing Boehner but would do so only if the leadership’s coalition began to crack on the floor.

But there was little evidence that the fringe contingent’s efforts would snowball into a widespread movement against Boehner. Neither Yoho nor Gohmert has broad sway in the House. Gohmert is a fixture on Fox News Channel but is not a major player in legislative matters. Yoho and most of the other possible challengers have a similar political standing: vocal, but backbenchers.

“What they’ve got is some grievances but no candidate,” said former congressman Bob Walker (R-Pa.), who added that the new majority is big enough to accommodate this latest bout of dissent. “You can afford to lose a lot more people when you have 246 seats than you can with a much smaller majority.”