The 119th Congress is convening for the first time and House Speaker Mike Johnson has narrowly been reelected to his post. The Louisiana Republican has the support of President-elect Donald Trump and House Republicans decided on Friday to reelect him to his post with just one holdout.
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) all voted against Johnson during the initial vote. Self and Norman switched their vote to Johnson after speaking with him away from cameras.
Here’s the latest:
Trump Called 3 Holdouts
Norman, a Republican who switched his vote to Johnson after initially opposing him, said the president-elect’s argument was simple: “Mike’s the only one who can be elected.”
Trump’s phone calls—first with Norman, then with all three GOP lawmakers who had opposed Johnson—eventually helped convince them to change their votes.
Norman said that what changed his mind was Johnson’s “assurance that he was going to fight for everything going forward.”
House Freedom Caucus Releases Legislation Demands
The House Freedom Caucus released a list of legislation demands after its members delivered key votes to make Johnson speaker, including enacting permanent immigration changes, federal spending cuts, and banning members of Congress from stock trading.
“There is always room to negotiate on so-called ‘leadership’ positions under the rules,” the GOP lawmakers said in their letter.
Keith Self Explains Flip
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), who initially backed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) in protest of House Speaker nominee Mike Johnson (R-La.), explained his decision to flip his vote to Johnson during the first round.
“After receiving firm assurances from the Speaker that Republicans in the House will have strong representation during the budget reconciliation process—a cornerstone of President Trump’s agenda—I changed my initial vote,” Self said in a post on social media platform X.
Here, Self is referencing the budget reconciliation process, which will likely be used for a series of GOP bills related to taxes, energy, the border, and potentially other issues.
Many Republicans felt Johnson excluded the rank-and-file members from decision-making in the previous Congress, and his critics have made clear that avoiding a repeat of that is a top priority for them.
Johnson Sworn In as Speaker
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been sworn in as the 56th speaker.
This followed him winning on the first ballot after three members initially voted against him, with two of them switching their vote for him.
The speaker then proceeded to swear in the members of the 119th Congress.
Trump Congratulates Johnson on Reelection as Speaker
President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement congratulating House Speaker-elect Mike Johnson (R-La.) on winning reelection as speaker.
“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!”
Johnson Wins Speakership on First Ballot
Speaker nominee Mike Johnson (R-La.) clinched 218 votes to reclaim the gavel on the first ballot.
The final tally was 218 for Johnson and 215 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Three Republicans initially voted against Johnson: Reps.-elect Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Keith Self (R-Texas). But in the final moments of the vote, Norman and Self changed their vote to Johnson, handing him the speakership.
Democrats were united behind Jeffries.
2 Holdouts Change Their Votes
Reps. Ralph Norman and Keith Self have changed their votes at the 11th hour, supporting Johnson for speaker.
Johnson stood next to both men in the well and shook their hands after they voted.
Johnson Leads 2 GOP Holdouts off House Floor
Johnson is two votes down from seizing the gavel in first-round balloting.
He huddled with several lawmakers and others took phone calls.
Two of the Republican holdouts, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Rep. Keith Self of Texas, followed Johnson away from the cameras off the chamber floor.
Johnson Walks off House Floor
Speaker Mike Johnson walked off the floor as the first ballot for his speaker’s race was coming to a close.
Three Republicans voted for other candidates besides Johnson.
Another Vote Against Johnson
Texas Rep. Keith Self voted for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida for House Speaker, in lieu of Rep. Mike Johnson.
It is the third GOP defection from the incumbent speaker.
Johnson at Risk of Falling Short on First Ballot
With Reps. Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman both voting for candidates that are not Johnson, the Louisiana Republican is now at risk of losing his first ballot for speaker.
There were several far-right members who abstained from voting thus far and could potentially vote at the end.
Speaker Vote Starts
The speaker battle has officially begun as House members-elect are voting on who will get the gavel.
Ahead of the vote, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said on the House floor that unified Republican control of Washington is “an opportunity to put America First again.”
119th Congress Begins
The 119th Congress has commenced.
The first order of business will be to elect a speaker. Speaker nominee Mike Johnson (R-La.) is looking to keep the gavel, but it could take a few rounds. Rep.-elect Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has repeatedly said he will not vote for Johnson.
Before the speaker vote, there will be a vote to establish a quorum.
Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote as all Democrats are expected to vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). A speaker needs to win the majority of all votes cast; this would be 218 votes if all members are in attendance.
After electing a speaker, the House will pass a resolution establishing the rules of the 119th Congress. Members will then be sworn in.
Voting for Speaker Is Soon to Begin
The next speaker must receive a majority of the votes cast. If not, balloting continues until someone meets that threshold.
Two years ago, it took Kevin McCarthy 15 rounds of balloting before he gained enough support to take the gavel.
Those voting won their election in November, but they cannot take the oath of office until a new speaker has been elected.
The 118th Congress Has Come to a Close
Before his election for speaker can begin, Speaker Mike Johnson opened Friday’s session by declaring that the 118th Congress has come to a close.
On his way to the House floor earlier, he was asked by reporters if he will win the speakership during the first round of voting.
“I hope so. We’ll see,” he said.
Trump: Johnson ‘Will Do Very Well’
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will “do very well” and maintain the gavel, President-elect Donald Trump told CNN in a brief phone interview.
“He’s a fine man. He’s a very fine individual, he’s religious, he’s smart, he’s strong,” he said.
“Everybody likes him. Everybody respects him.”
Trump said he has been in touch with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and other undecided members.
“I’m just saying, look, we had the greatest presidential election. We won the popular vote by millions of votes … we had a great election, and it would be nice to cement the election with an election here. I mean, that would just be a big, beautiful exclamation point,” he said.
At the end of the day, Trump said, “Chip Roy will do what’s right for the country.”
GOP Lawmakers Chime In
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told Fox News that he thinks Johnson has the votes to remain speaker and that the GOP needs to “do what we told the American people we were going to do.”
Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) told CBS News on Jan. 3 that the speaker’s race “will come down to a razor wire finish.”
“People are out there negotiating,” he said. “When we have a super thin majority, it’s really tough to get a speaker elected, as we saw last Congress.”
Green and Jordan are expected to support Johnson.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), however, is undecided.
“I’ll be praying about it and I’ll make my decision according to that,” he told CNBC.
“Mike’s in a really tough position. Anybody in that position outside of being a single mom, I can’t think of any job tougher in this country than being speaker of the House.”
Johnson: ‘I Don’t Make Deals’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could be facing a fight for his post but has no intention of making concessions to keep it.
“I don’t make deals with anyone. There’s no quid pro quo here,” Johnson told reporters ahead of Friday’s speakership election.
“I don’t do anything in exchange for a vote, other than commit to make this institution work as effectively, as efficiently as possible.”
Johnson’s predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), was forced to strike a deal with Republican hardliners to secure the majority support he needed to win the speakership. That deal ultimately cost him the gavel, as it paved the way for former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to force a vote on his removal.
Republicans are starting off the 119th Congress with a historically slim majority—so slim that Johnson can only lose one Republican vote if he is to stay speaker, given that Democrats have vowed to vote against him.
He met with several Republican holdouts on Thursday night to address their concerns, though few details have emerged from that discussion.
Trump Makes Last-Minute Push for Johnson
President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his support for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), calling on Republicans to let him keep the gavel.
“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!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Jan. 3.
At least one Republican—Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—is opposed to Johnson’s candidacy. Johnson cannot afford to lose another Republican vote. There are other Republicans undecided.
Epoch Times reporters Jackson Richman and Samantha Flom, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.