Democrats defy Pelosi, elect Hoyer House leader

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) A week after winning back control of the US Congress, Democrats in the House defied incoming speaker Nancy Pelosi today and bypassed a vocal Iraq war critic to elevate her moderate deputy to majority leader.

It marked an embarrassing first defeat for Pelosi, a California liberal who had endorsed Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a key player in the anti-war effort that helped Democrats sweep to power in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The secret vote behind closed doors was 149-86.

Democrats embraced Hoyer, a Maryland moderate who has been Pelosi's deputy while she served the past three years as minority leader. The two have had a somewhat strained relationship.

Pelosi, as expected, was officially nominated to be the first woman speaker of the House. A vote by the full House will be held when the 110th Congress convenes in January.

Shortly before the election several Democrats said Murtha had denounced a package of lobby and ethics reforms designed to clean up how the scandal-rocked Congress does business, another key issue in the 2006 elections. He said he was not referring to the Pelosi-backed package.

Pelosi endorsed Murtha on Sunday, ending her neutrality in the contest and getting behind the man who managed her successful 2001 campaign for House minority whip. She defeated Hoyer.

Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, predicted there would no lasting fallout from the leadership battle.

''A lot of people wished this hadn't happened,'' Frank said.

''There's a sense that we had a little stumble ... (but) I think it will disappear.'' Rep. Albert Wynn, a Maryland Democrat, said the battle will fade away and ''people will focus'' on the party's agenda, which includes pushing for a phased withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, raising the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, expanding health care and upgrading education.

REUTERS SK PM2353