WASHINGTON — Republican Mike Johnson narrowly won reelection Friday as House speaker on a first ballot, overcoming hard-right GOP holdouts in a tense standoff and buoyed by a nod of support from President-elect Donald Trump.
The uneasy scene brought an ominous start to the first day of the new Congress. A small collection of hardline Republicans convened in the back of the House chamber, one by one declining to vote or choosing another lawmaker. Johnson’s face turned grim, acknowledging fresh turmoil and signaling trouble ahead for him as Trump returns to the White House with unified GOP control of Washington.
In the end, however, Johnson was able to flip two holdouts who switched to support him, with help from Trump, who called the dissenting Republican lawmakers from the golf course. The final tally was 218-215.
Johnson, visibly relieved, vowed to “reject business as usual” in his first speech with the gavel.
“We’re going to drastically cut back the size and scope of government,” he promised.
Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel has threatened not only his own survival but Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to power in the House and the Senate. The stark vote tally laid bare the challenges he faces. Even backing from Trump himself, usually a surer bet for Republicans, was no guarantee of Johnson’s ability to stay in the speaker’s office.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jefferies attempted to push past the Republican tumult of the past two years, saying it was time to come together, put party politics aside “to get things done” for Americans.
What was once a ceremonial day with newly elected lawmakers arriving to be sworn into office, often with family, friends and children in tow — Republicans this year wearing long, Trump-style red ties — has evolved into a high-stakes vote for the office of House speaker, among the most powerful elected positions in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris swore in the senators.
While the Senate is able to convene on its own and has already elected party leaders — Sen. John Thune as the Republican majority leader, who vowed in his first speech to preserve the legislative filibuster, and Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic minority — the House must first elect its speaker. It’s a role required by the Constitution, second in the line of succession to the president.
With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson arrived at the Capitol with outward confidence after working into the night to sway dissenters. A flop by Johnson could have thrown Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil.
Trump had endorsed Johnson, and was on the phone during the vote to secure the outcome. “Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary,” Trump posted on social media after the vote.
Congress has been here before, when it took Republicans nearly a week and 15 rounds of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker in 2023, a spectacle otherwise unseen in modern times. McCarthy was then dumped by his party, a historic first, but he was also part of a long list of GOP speakers chased to early exits.
The stakes were higher this year as Trump prepares to return to the White House with the House and Senate in GOP control and promising to deliver big on a 100-day agenda.
Johnson worked diligently up to the final moments to prevent losing his post. He had spent New Year’s Day at Mar-a-Lago as he positioned himself alongside Trump. The speaker often portrays himself as the “quarterback” who will be executing the political plays called by the “coach,” the president-elect.
During the dramatic roll call, the strain on Johnson was clear. More than a half-dozen Republicans refused to vote for him, many from the conservative Freedom Caucus simply staying silent as their names were called.
The chamber came to a standstill, and then a few of those Republican holdouts announced their support. But Johnson was still falling short. One hard “no” was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted for a different GOP leader and had made it clear he would not switch.
But there were two others. Johnson’s allies huddled with Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, some taking calls and passing them their phones. Trump called all three of them. Norman said later that Trump told him, “Mike’s the only one who can be elected.”
Johnson led the two GOP lawmakers off the chamber floor. A short time later, Johnson reentered the chamber upbeat, and Norman and Self cast their votes for him, to cheers.
Eventually, Johnson and all the House lawmakers were sworn into office.
Johnson commands one of the slimmest majorities in modern times, having lost seats in the November election. With the sudden resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the tally dropped to 219-215. That leaves Johnson relying on almost every Republican for support to reach the typical 218 threshold for a majority in the face of Democratic opposition —- on the speaker’s vote or other party priorities.
