House GOP re-elects current leadership

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. House Republicans Tuesday voted unanimously to re-elect the party's current leadership.

In a strong show of support from colleagues, Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was reconfirmed as majority leader without objection despite an ongoing criminal investigation into his political activities by Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Ronnie Earle.

Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., whose son Matt is now governor-elect of of Missouri, won another term as majority whip while Ohio Republican Deborah Pryce was re-elected as conference chairman.

Californian C. Christopher Cox will again chair the GOP policy committee. Georgia Republican Jack Kingston will again serve as conference vice-chairman alongside California's John Doolittle, who earned another term as conference secretary. New York Republican Tom Reynolds was re-elected as head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which oversees congressional campaigns for the GOP.

Though the House Republicans also nominated Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., for another term in office, his election to the post does not become official until the entire House votes in January.