Republicans Re-Elect Mike Johnson As US House Speaker

The United States House of Representatives re-elected Republican Mike Johnson as speaker, in a vote viewed as a test of party unity ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Johnson won after an unclear first round of voting, with several members of his party originally withholding their ballots on topics such as his role in recent bipartisan budget negotiations.

He eventually secured the speakership with 218 votes out of 435, after two of the holdouts, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, altered their votes in response to Donald Trump’s intervention.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries received another 215 votes, all of which were Democratic. Representative Thomas Massie, who had promised to oppose Johnson, voted for fellow Republican Tom Emmer.

The Republicans will need nearly every vote they have to gain a majority in a party-line vote, emphasizing the Republicans’ thin control of the chamber.

The vote for Johnson on Friday also called into question Trump’s ability to gain Republican support. He had urged the party to support Johnson as he prepared to implement a tax-cutting plan and mass deportation when he takes office on January 20.

The voting for speaker took place on the opening day of the 119th Congress, following the general election in November. Republicans now command majorities in both the House and the Senate, having flipped the upper chamber from Democratic control.

Several Republicans had promised to oppose Johnson before the session, especially after he spearheaded a bipartisan effort to approve a temporary budget deal in December.

But on Friday morning, senior Republicans, including Trump, appeared to coalesce behind Johnson.

“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump wrote on social media.

“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!!” he added.

Nonetheless, after the roll-call vote, Johnson fell short of the required 218 votes for victory. With his triumph, Johnson is still the third most influential politician in the United States.