WASHINGTON — John A. Boehner beat back a challenge to his speakership on Tuesday from restless conservatives as Republicans assumed control of both houses of Congress for the first time in eight years.
The dissent from the right wing illustrated how challenging the next two years could be for Republicans, who who now own the political liability that comes with being in charge on Capitol Hill at a time when dismayed voters are more likely than ever to turn on the party in power.
Two dozen Republicans voted against the speaker, diminishing somewhat what should have been a day of euphoria for the party.
In the House, Republicans have their largest majority since the post-World War II era, 246 seats. In the Senate, where 12 freshmen Republicans were sworn in on Tuesday, the party has 54 seats to the Democrats’ 46, including a lone freshman.
Defections in a vote for speaker have been fairly rare in recent years. By contrast, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the new majority leader, faced no opposition when his colleagues chose him before the holiday recess.
The expectations are high for Republicans to deliver on their promise of making Congress work like a functional governing body again. Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell have already set in motion the process to hold votes on approving the Keystone XL pipeline, a project they have both championed as a job creator. Proposed Keystone legislation, with bipartisan sponsorship, became the first bill introduced in the new Senate.
They hope to get a bill to President Obama’s desk by the end of the month, but White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president would not sign it.
As members trudged into the Capitol on Tuesday morning with a snowstorm swirling outside, Republicans were pressing their case for a new agenda with a bold economic plan as its centerpiece.
“Our first priority for the next two years,” said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, a member of the Republican leadership, “will be alleviating the economic pain the American people have experienced under the Obama administration.”
Though it was a rough opening day for the speaker, there is no question that Mr. Boehner is taking command of a far different class than he took over in 2011 when he led a fractious and often disloyal bunch of more than 80 freshmen, many of whom had no legislative experience at all. He took a more direct role in recruiting the new class as he sought out more compromise-oriented, center-right candidates.
Advice for the 114th Congress
Four departing members of Congress, including Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican of Georgia, give advice to freshman lawmakers.
Video by A.J. Chavar on January 2, 2015.
Tuesday’s vote for speaker represented a reach for relevance by some rank-and-file conservative lawmakers, including those making good on campaign promises about standing up to Mr. Boehner and the culture of Washington. For Mr. Boehner, meanwhile, by squashing a conservative uprising and winning handily sent a strong signal to House Republicans, as well as conservative outside groups, that he will not be cowed by recalcitrant members of his conference.
But the mere public questioning of Mr. Boehner’s leadership still offers a sting to the speaker. In 2013, at the beginning of the last Congress, Mr. Boehner lost the votes of a dozen members — more defections than any other speaker has suffered in an election in more than two decades. (In fact, since the 102nd Congress began in 1991, Mr. Boehner is one of just three speakers who have lost the support of more than one member.)
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