Gowdy Reveals Who He Would Have Voted for Had He Been in Washington — and It's Not Who You Might Expect

Rep. Trey Gowdy missed his flight to Washington Tuesday morning, but said he would have voted to re-elect John Boehner as speaker, despite an effort underway by some conservative members to oust him.

"A canceled flight, due to weather, from South Carolina to Washington this morning regrettably prevented me from being in Washington for today's speaker vote," Gowdy said in a statement. "Had our flight not been canceled, I would have voted for our conference nominee, John Boehner."

Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) mounted challenges against Boehner; Tuesday's voice vote brought scattered votes for other members, including Gowdy himself, a conservative favorite.

"The position of speaker of the House is a difficult job as evidenced by the fact that so few members seek the position," Gowdy said. "Speaker Boehner was approved overwhelmingly by the conference in November. In fact, not a single other name was placed in nomination."