New Tulsa Rep. Jim Bridenstine refuses to back new term for House Speaker John Boehner

Bridenstine, who had tea party support when he toppled former Rep. John Sullivan in the Republican primary in June, was one of nine Republicans who voted for someone other than Boehner, R-Ohio, for speaker; some others did not vote.

In an interview before the vote, Bridenstine said he “had problems” voting for Boehner because of the debt ceiling deal in 2011 to avoid a default on the nation's debt. Bridenstine said Boehner had agreed to a deal that was crafted in secret and led to congressional “supercommittee” negotiations on tax hikes and spending cuts.

The 2011 deal created the “fiscal cliff” crisis, averted earlier this week, Bridenstine said, and left most members of Congress without a voice.

“In my estimation, it's bad policy,” he said. “It's not the intent of the Constitution of the United States.

“The challenge is no one is running against (Boehner)” for speaker. “So what does a guy like me do?”

What Bridenstine, 37, did was vote for the second-ranking House Republican, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, of Virginia, who has split with Boehner on some issues, including the deal on Tuesday that averted income tax hikes on most Americans.