Breaking: Mike Johnson Re-Elected Speaker of the House in Dramatic Fashion
By the narrowest margin, House Speaker Mike Johnson was re-elected on Friday in a 218-215 vote.
Facing significant challenges to retain his position, Johnson had little room for error. As CNN noted, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky announced prior to the vote that he would not support Johnson—a stance he maintained during the election.
With Republicans holding a slim majority, Johnson could only afford to lose one GOP vote if all House members participated. The seat previously occupied by former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida remains vacant, leaving 434 members present: 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats. Johnson needed 218 votes to secure his position.
Initially, two Republican representatives, Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, voted for other candidates. However, after discussions, both switched their votes to support Johnson.
Republican Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas emphasized the importance of uniting behind Johnson to focus on legislative goals. “There will be many an opportunity over the course of the next several months as we prosecute an agenda to stumble, shoot ourselves in the foot. We can’t rely on help from the left, so we’ve got to carry this on our own,” he said. “Put it in the bank and move on to our legislative agenda.”
According to The New York Times, Johnson made several commitments ahead of the vote, including the creation of “a working group comprised of independent experts” to collaborate with the Department of Government Efficiency, a group led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
President-elect Donald Trump urged Republicans to rally 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 Truth Social. “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!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!”
In a prior post, Trump encouraged unity and urged Republicans to capitalize on their election success. “LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration,” he wrote. “We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS.”
Trump further highlighted the need for Republican unity to counter Democratic efforts. “We just won a Historic Landslide and Mandate from the American People, but Senate Democrats are organizing to improperly stall and delay the confirmation process of many of our Great Nominees. They will try all sorts of tricks starting very soon. Republicans must not allow them to do that,” he warned. “We have a Country to run, and many big problems to solve, mostly created by Democrats. REPUBLICANS, BE SMART AND TOUGH!!!”