Republican Mike Johnson has been re-elected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in a vote that tested the party’s unity ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office.
Johnson secured the speakership after a rocky start in the voting process, with some members of his party initially withholding their support due to concerns over his involvement in recent bipartisan budget talks. However, he ultimately won with 218 votes, clinching the required majority out of a total of 435, following interventions from Trump that swayed holdouts like Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas.
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries received 215 votes from the Democratic side. Representative Thomas Massie, who had opposed Johnson’s candidacy, cast his vote for Republican Tom Emmer instead.
With a slim majority in the House, the Republican Party needed almost all its votes to secure the position. Friday’s vote not only tested Johnson’s leadership but also placed Trump’s influence over Republican support under the spotlight. Trump had urged his party members to back Johnson, who is expected to play a key role in the GOP’s agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations once Trump assumes office on January 20.
The vote, held on the first day of the 119th Congress, comes after the Republicans regained control of both the House and the Senate following the November general elections, flipping the Senate from Democratic to Republican hands.
Despite early opposition from several Republicans who were displeased with Johnson’s role in leading a bipartisan effort to pass a temporary budget bill in December, many top Republicans rallied behind him. This included Trump, who expressed support on social media, saying, “Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support.”
Trump added, “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!!”
Although Johnson fell short of the 218 votes initially, he eventually secured enough support to win. With this victory, Johnson solidifies his position as the third most powerful politician in the United States.
