The United States House of Representatives has re-elected Republican Mike Johnson as its speaker, in a vote seen as a stinging test of party unity ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.
But Johnson’s campaign to keep the speaker’s ass was not without its hits on Friday.
Johnson emerged victorious after an uncertain first round of voting, as some members of his own party initially withheld their votes over issues such as his role in recent bipartisan budget negotiations.
He eventually won the presidency by 218 of the 435 total votes, after two of the candidates – Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas – changed their votes.
Another 215 votes, all Democratic, went to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Representative Thomas Massie, who had vowed to reject Johnson, cast his vote for Republican Tom Emmer.
The close vote underscored the narrow margin of control Republicans have over the chamber. With only 219 seats in the House of Representatives, Republicans will need almost every vote they have to achieve a majority on a party-line vote.
This could give some members of the extreme right a greater influence on legislation as they exert their influence.
Friday’s vote for Johnson also put Trump’s ability to garner Republican votes under the microscope. He had called on the party to support Johnson as he prepares to pursue an ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations when he takes office on January 20.
A new Congress for 2025
The vote for the presidency came on the first day of the 119th Congress, following the November general election. Republicans hold majorities in the House and Senate after wresting the upper chamber from Democratic control.
The race for the Speaker’s post was expected to be tight as the House convened for its first session of the new year.
Some Republicans had vowed early in the session to reject Johnson, especially after he led a bipartisan push to pass a temporary budget bill in December.
Some objected to the lack of spending cuts. Others felt disappointed that the bill did not address the federal borrowing limit, as President-elect Trump had requested.
But on Friday morning, top Republicans appeared to rally around Johnson, including Trump himself.
“Good luck today to Speaker Mike Johnson, a great man with great skills who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump wrote on social media.
“A win for Mike today would be a huge win for the Republican Party, and another recognition of our most important presidential election in 129 years!”
While Trump had previously endorsed Johnson, he had also said that “the others are very good too”.
Later, on the House floor, Representative Lisa McClain, another top Republican, gave a speech to nominate Johnson. It placed his leadership within the framework of broader party priorities.
“We have the opportunity to put America first again. We have an opportunity to do something about crime. We have an opportunity to do something about the border. And we have an opportunity to take care of our veterans,” McClain said.
She briefly appeared to acknowledge the possibility of partisan disagreement over the vote.
“No speaker is perfect. And no one ever will be. However, achieving excellence requires incremental gains and difficult decisions along the way. “None of us are going to get exactly what we want,” McClain said.
Johnson himself exuded an air of confidence when he arrived at the Capitol on Friday, after spending the night looking to win over hardliners.
“We don’t have time for drama,” Johnson said as he entered the Capitol on Friday.
A close vote
However, after the roll call vote was held, Johnson was initially shy of the 218 votes needed to win.
Three Republicans initially cast their ballots for other candidates. Norman tapped Jim Jordan, Massie backed Emmer and Self fielded Byron Donalds.
Several other Republicans — including Chip Roy of Texas, another Johnson critic — did not offer a vote at all. But when asked after the first ballot whether they would support a candidate, Roy and others backed Johnson.
A group of Republicans — including some holdovers — briefly left the House chamber with Johnson to negotiate. When they returned, Norman and Self changed their vote.
In a Friday post on the social media platform X, Massie explained why he would remain an obstacle, voting “hell no” on Johnson’s leadership. He expressed fears that Johnson would be unable to enact Trump’s legislative priorities.
“President Trump’s agenda must become law. Speaker Johnson has already shown that he is not the man to do this,” Massie wrote.
Trump’s agenda
The speaker’s election comes after Republicans also chose John Thune as Senate majority leader, with Chuck Schumer representing the Democratic minority in the chamber.
Thune has vowed to pursue Trump’s agenda, despite the fact that Republicans hold just 53 seats in the 100-person chamber. That’s less than the 60-vote supermajority needed to overcome impasse, a tool for the minority to block or overturn legislation.
Both houses of Congress will face several controversial pieces of legislation this year, setting the stage for heated battles.
Congress will have to revisit the question of funding the federal government when the current budget bill ends in March. And it will also have to weigh raising the debt ceiling — the amount the federal government can borrow — later this year.
The federal government is already more than $36 trillion in debt, and many congressional Republicans are expected to seek significant spending cuts going forward.
The election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, once considered a ho-hum ceremony, has become increasingly controversial in recent years. In 2023, the chamber went through 15 rounds of voting over four days before electing Kevin McCarthy to the role.
Johnson, a low-profile conservative Christian lawyer from Louisiana, rose to the chairmanship after the party ousted McCarthy midway through his term.
