The House elected Mike Johnson (R-LA) to a second term as speaker on Friday, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty over whether he had enough Republican support to maintain the top leadership position.
Johnson won the speakership on the first round of voting, but not without difficulty. Three Republicans initially joined all Democrats to vote against Johnson’s nomination: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Keith Self (R-TX).
Shortly after the roll call ended, Johnson huddled with Norman and Self, who changed their votes to support Johnson before the first round was gaveled — resulting in a standing ovation among the GOP conference.
Those flipped votes brought the final tally to 218-215, with Massie remaining the only Republican to vote against Johnson. Johnson needed only a simple majority to win the gavel.
Johnson thanked his conference for their support in a speech before swearing in the 119th Congress, vowing to “heed the call” of voters to “reject business as usual and throw out the status quo.”
“Our people do not deserve to be ruled by millions of bureaucrats never voted for, never met, and can never be held accountable. They deserve a government that is led by those they have elected to lead,” Johnson said. “That was the idea of Congress and we will return to that.”
It was not immediately clear what Johnson said to the holdouts to convince them to change their vote, although a lawmaker familiar with the talks told the Washington Examiner their concerns were related to House processes and spending cuts.
Those demands were mirrored in a letter sent to the House GOP conference by the conservative Freedom Caucus after the election was over, pressing Johnson to prioritize legislation aimed at securing the border, easing inflation, expanding healthcare protections, and more.
“There is always room to negotiate on so-called ‘leadership’ positions under the rules; in the meantime, each one of our election certificates is still equal,” members wrote. “Personalities can be debated later, but right now there is no zero room for error on the policies the American people demanded when they voted for President Trump — the ones necessary to save our country.”
With the speakership election completed, members were able to be sworn in.
The day began with speeches from party leaders, with House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) introducing Johnson as the party’s nominee. In her remarks, McClain said that “no speaker is perfect and no speaker will be” — urging her colleagues to unify behind him.
However, it wasn’t enough for the three Republicans who voted for other candidates, causing Johnson initially to fall short of the 218-vote threshold. Each of the defections caused some tension on the floor, with Democrats quietly laughing as the holdouts named other nominees.
The defections did not come as a surprise, however, as hard-line members have expressed frustration with Johnson over the last several weeks and refused to commit their support unless they saw certain demands met.
Members of the Freedom Caucus, in particular, criticized the speaker, first elected to the top leadership position in October 2023, for not securing more spending cuts and relying on Democrats to pass key legislation.
Their demands also include assurances that rank-and-file Republicans will be included in negotiations for must-pass legislation, a frustration that arose last month when GOP lawmakers tanked a government spending deal reached days before the shutdown deadline.
Things got heated on the House floor during the roll call vote after Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett railed against congressional rules prohibiting delegates in U.S. territories from casting a vote for speaker. Those remarks were met with cheers on the Democratic side, while those on the Republican side called for order.
Democrats erupted in applause as well after the House clerk announced former Rep. Matt Gaetz would not be sworn into the 119th Congress. At the outset, they cheered for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who returned to the chamber for the first time since undergoing hip replacement surgery following a fall in Germany last year.
Though Johnson huddled with the holdouts, he told reporters he would not be making concessions or side deals, something his predecessor Kevin McCarthy did to secure the gavel at the beginning of the 118th Congress.
“I don’t make deals with anyone. There’s no quid pro quo here,” Johnson said on Friday morning. “I don’t do anything in exchange for a vote other than commit to make this institution work as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
However, Johnson did release three commitments for a second term as speaker ahead of the election, including the creation of a working group composed of independent experts to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to implement spending reforms.
He also promised to task House committees with conducting “aggressive” authorizations and appropriations reviews “to expose irresponsible or illegal practices” within agencies.
“If we want to restore fiscal responsibility, we must start by being transparent about the dollars that are spent, address the issues we find, and then hold those accountable who have misspent funds,” Johnson said in a statement. “Republicans have a mandate to implement the America First agenda, and as Speaker, this will be my priority.”
House leadership had expressed cautious optimism on Friday morning that Johnson would become speaker, even if it took multiple rounds.
Lawmakers cast their votes one by one in alphabetical order, each stating his or her candidate out loud. The magic number was 218.
Johnson is working with a historically slim margin of just 219-215, meaning he could only afford to lose one Republican vote. Massie, who voted for Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) during the first round, vowed not to change his vote.
Still, Johnson did benefit from a major weapon in his arsenal: President-elect Donald Trump, who succeeded in softening some resistance among conservative members.
Trump offered last-minute support to Johnson hours before the vote, telling Republicans in a Friday post on Truth Social that his victory would be “a big win” for the party.
Johnson had pointed to that support, arguing a quick speaker’s election is the best way to enact Trump’s agenda and avoid the appearance of a divided GOP majority in the House. Those who support Johnson echoed similar sentiments, urging their colleagues to brush their frustrations with Johnson aside and prioritize getting the House in order before Monday’s certification of Trump’s 2024 electoral win.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of Capitol Hill, the Senate swore in its 100 senators without much fanfare or drama. There, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) became the new majority leader of the upper chamber, ushering in an era of GOP control not seen since 2021.
Trump will not be sworn in for a second term until Jan. 20.
