More conservative Republicans say they won't back Boehner for speaker

The fledgling rebellion against electing John Boehner to a third term as House speaker gained momentum over the weekend, as nine conservative Republicans declared they intend to vote against the Ohio Republican when the House convenes on Tuesday.

Among them, Reps. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Ted Yoho, R-Fla., also have announced they will challenge Boehner for the position.

"We lack a leadership and we lack vision of where the country's going," Yoho told Fox News on Monday. "It's just not me feeling this."

Yoho said he'll keep his hat in the ring, even after Gohmert announced his own bid on Sunday.

The odds of the effort unseating Boehner remain slim. Sending the election to a second ballot would require 28 votes against Boehner. No election of a speaker of the House has gone that far since 1923, when Frederick Gillette, R-Mass., won re-election on the ninth ballot. The vote is typically a formality and split along party lines.

Yoho said Monday, though, that reaching a second round is their goal and "we fully anticipate to get there."

The nine members who have declared their opposition to Boehner are Yoho and Gohmert, and Reps. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla.; Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.; Steve King, R-Iowa; Dave Brat, R-Va.; Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind.; Water Jones, R-N.C.; and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

"We have heard from a lot of Republicans that said, 'I would vote for somebody besides Speaker Boehner, but nobody will put their name out there,'" Gohmert told "Fox & Friends" on Sunday morning, in announcing his own bid. "That changed [Saturday] with Ted Yoho." Gohmert also hinted that at least one other member would launch a challenge from within the GOP.

Bridenstine, who released a statement late Sunday referring to the rebels as a "Gang of Nine," hinted that more of his colleagues would make their opposition to Boehner public, vowing "Monday, we will be in double digits."

Jones, the North Carolina congressman, told The Washington Times that as many as 18 conservatives will look to vote against Boehner.

A Boehner spokesman said Sunday that the speaker was selected in November as the House Republican Conference's choice and that "he expects to be elected by the whole House this week."

Though Republicans have built their majority under Boehner's leadership, most of the opposition to Boehner stems from the belief among some conservative members that he caved by agreeing last month to a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill, which averted another partial government shutdown. Those members believe Boehner did not do enough to punish President Obama for sidestepping Congress over immigration reform.

“After the November elections gave Republicans control of the Senate, voters made clear they wanted change,” Gohmert said. “We were hopeful our leaders got the voters’ message. However, after our speaker forced through the (spending bill) by passing it with Democratic votes and without time to read it, it seemed clear that we needed new leadership."

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.