BREAKING: Mike Johnson Remains Speaker
The Louisiana Republicans wins on the first ballot after two votes flipped from "Other."
Mike Johnson will remain Speaker of the House after a narrow roll call vote and two Republicans flipping.
With the GOP’s razor-thin majority, Johnson could only afford to lose one Republican vote. While Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie remained a firm “No,” fellow Republicans Ralph Norman and Keith Self initially voted for a different candidate before flipping their votes in Johnson’s favor.
The Speaker’s victory was buoyed by last-minute support from conservative leaders like Jim Jordan and a significant endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump. Concerns among some holdouts over Johnson’s use of continuing resolutions during the Biden administration were mitigated by arguments that the GOP had limited leverage with only House control against a Democratic Senate and White House.
With the Speaker vote resolved, the House will proceed with seating its members and adopting the rules package that will guide this term’s legislative process. Included in the rules package are a list of agenda items the Republicans will work toward first.
Johnson’s leadership will now face the challenge of unifying the Republican majority and advancing its agenda alongside a Republican Senate and White House.