Trump congratulates Mike Johnson on his victory

Topline

The House voted Friday to re-elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., after several Republicans initially failed to cast a vote for him, turning into a tough contest fueled by opposition from a small but influential group of Republicans The chairman was encouraged to have President-elect Donald Trump take part in the discussions.

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Important facts

The House voted 218-215 to re-elect Johnson as House speaker, with one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voting against him, although eight other Republicans either voted against Johnson or supported him in an initial vote withheld the call for a vote.

Johnson appeared likely to lose in the first round of roll-call voting because he could only afford to have one Republican vote against him and all Democrats supported Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

However, the vote remained open as Johnson retreated to a private area of the chamber to apparently negotiate with the holdouts, who then – with the exception of Massie – changed their votes to support Johnson.

Get text alerts on breaking news stories from Forbes: We’re introducing SMS alerts so you’re always on top of the most important news breaking the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.

Which Republicans opposed Johnson?

Massie, who publicly expressed his opposition to Johnson this week, voted against Johnson along with Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, who later switched their votes. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Rep . Chip Roy, R-Texas, did not cast a vote on the first ballot when their names were called.

What we don’t know

What factors influenced Norman and Self to change their votes in favor of Johnson, who was already negotiating before the vote? According to multiple media outlets, Trump spoke with Norman and Self before they changed their votes, although the details of the conversations between the president-elect and the congressman are unclear. Earlier this week, Trump endorsed Johnson, saying, “He’s the one who can win now.”

Crucial quote

“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress,” Trump said in a Truth Social post after the lengthy vote. “The people of America have waited four years for common sense, strength and leadership. They will get it now, and America will be greater than ever!”

Important background

The 119th Congress began at noon Friday, but a vote on Johnson’s reelection or a new speaker had to be completed before members of the new Congress could be sworn in. The election of a House speaker has largely been viewed as a rubber stamp in modern times, although former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., needed 15 rounds of voting spread over several days to win his position as speaker in 2023 later this year Year there was a historic fall that heralded Johnson’s inauguration. In addition to Trump’s support, Johnson received further support from Tesla boss and Trump ally Elon Musk.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato