Republican Mike Johnson won re-election to the US House of Representatives on the first ballot on Friday, besting hard-right opponents in the GOP and boosted by a signal of support from President-elect Donald Trump.
A group of hard-line Republicans gathered in the back of the House chamber during a tense roll call on the first day of the new Congress, and one by one they abstained or chose another lawmaker. The confrontation sparked new unrest, signaling trouble ahead under unified GOP control in Washington.
However, in the end, Johnson managed to turn two remaining holdouts who switched to his support, drawing applause from Republicans.
As the latest speaker, Johnson’s weakening grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival, but President-elect Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans come to power.
Newly elected House lawmakers began casting votes as Johnson’s name was put forward for the nomination by GOP conference chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich.
“There is no perfect speaker,” she said. She added that the goal is to make progress towards the country’s common priorities. “None of us will get exactly what we want.”
Democrats have cast their leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, as the only one with a track record of compromise and achievement in the face of “chaos and dysfunction” under the GOP majority.
“House Democrats are united behind the strongest legislative leader in this chamber,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., of Jefferies, recounting the many times their votes saved Johnson’s life to ensure passage of important legislation.
With his GOP colleagues opposed, Johnson arrived with outside confidence after working into the night to influence hard-line opponents. Johnson’s floundering could create turmoil in Congress’s certification on Monday of Trump’s 2024 election win without a House speaker. Even support from Trump himself, usually a sure bet for Republicans, was no guarantee that Johnson would remain in power.
“We have no time for drama,” Johnson said as he entered the Capitol.
The Louisiana Republican received a renewed nod of support from Trump. Trump wrote on social media: “Mike’s victory today would be a huge win for the Republican Party.”
What was a celebratory day as newly elected lawmakers took office, often accompanied by family, friends and children, evolved into a high-stakes vote for Speaker of the House, among the most powerful elected positions in Washington. . Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in in the Senate.
While the Senate is able to convene on its own and has already elected party leaders — Sen. John Thune as leader of the Republican majority and Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic minority — the House must first elect its own speaker, a role required by the Constitution. The second in the line of succession to the president.
Congress has been here before, when it took Republicans nearly a week and 15 rounds of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as its speaker in 2023, a spectacle unprecedented in modern times. McCarthy was then ousted by his own party, a historic first, but he was also part of a long list of GOP spokesmen who were expelled early.
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The stakes are higher this year as Trump prepares to return to the White House with GOP control of the House and Senate, and promises to deliver a lot on his 100-day agenda.
Johnson was working hard to prevent defeat, spending New Year’s Day at Mar-a-Lago standing alongside Trump. The speaker often portrays himself as the “quarterback” who will execute the political plays he calls the “coach,” the president-elect.
But Johnson also warned that without the Speaker there would be a “constitutional crisis” before January 6, when Congress is required by law to count the president’s electoral votes, weeks before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
“We don’t have any time to waste, and I think everyone realizes that,” he said.
Johnson controls one of the smallest majorities in the modern era, after losing his seats in the November elections. With the sudden resignation of Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, the number dropped to 219 votes to 215 votes. This leaves Johnson relying on almost every Republican for support in the face of Democratic opposition, although the 218-member (435-member) typical majority required could shift with absentees and others voting only “present.”
As Friday approached, he did not have the full support required.
Among the most notable opponents was Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy, a consistent member of the Freedom Caucus who criticized Republican leadership’s handling of the year-end spending bill for failing to cut spending and adhere to House rules.
“Something has to change,” Roy posted on social media. In the end, he voted for Johnson.
Among the strong holdouts was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted for a different GOP leader, as did other far-right Republicans, including some who helped oust McCarthy.
What is not clear is what other concessions Johnson can make to win support. Two years ago, McCarthy made major favors that seemed to only weaken his grip on power.
Indeed, Johnson has restored one of those changes, with a new House rule pushed by centrist conservatives that requires at least nine members of the majority party on any resolution to remove the Speaker — raising the threshold that McCarthy lowered to just one member.
“I think the naysayers are going to have to realize that Trump is right all the time,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said as he exited the House Speaker’s Office late Thursday. “Just know that Trump is right all the time, it will help you make a very simple decision.”
In many ways, Johnson has no choice but to endure political harassment from his colleagues, as they remind him who holds sway in their lopsided relationship. He was the final pick for the job, rising from the back seat once other leaders failed in the wake of McCarthy’s ouster.
Democrats led by Jeffries cannot be expected to help save Johnson, as they have done in the past with their votes when he faced the threat of impeachment.
The opening of the new Congress, which also brings a slate of history-making members, is set to be dominated by the House Speaker’s election, with the Senate expected to quickly begin hearings on Trump’s nominees for Cabinet and top administration positions.
In the Senate, two black women — Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland — were sworn in, both wearing white suffragette suits, marking the first time in the nation’s history that two black female senators have served in the Senate. Same time. .
Senator-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey is also making history as the first Korean American to join the chamber.
In the House of Representatives, Sarah McBride is the first openly transgender person in Congress.
House Speaker Amerita Nancy Pelosi, who recently suffered a fall abroad and underwent hip replacement surgery, is scheduled to return to Washington, a reminder of the power she had when Democrats last controlled the majority.
