WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi lost her first vote Thursday when the Democratic caucus picked Steny Hoyer over John Murtha as majority leader.
Hoyer, who represents Maryland, beat Murtha, from western Pennsylvania, in a 149-86 vote. The vote followed the unanimous choice of Pelosi as the first woman speaker in the United States.
Some Hoyer supporters complained that Pelosi and Murtha used inappropriate pressure to try to get them to switch sides, The Washington Post said.
Pelosi openly endorsed Murtha after pledging to stay neutral. She argued that Murtha's outspoken criticism of U.S. President George Bush's Iraq policy helped the Democrats win control of Congress.
Hoyer, who held the minority whip position, was for many Democrats the logical choice for majority leader. Murtha also has a history of ethical scrapes going back to Abscam.
"It's four days that we haven't talked about our message and built on the euphoria," Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., a Hoyer supporter, told The New York Times. "We had such perfect pitch last week."
