January 20, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson won reelection to the House speakership on a first ballot Friday, pushing past GOP hard-right holdouts and buoyed with a nod of support from President-elect Donald Trump.
A collection of hardline Republicans convened in the back of the House chamber during a tense roll call on the first day of the new Congress, one by one declining to vote or choosing another lawmaker. The standoff sparked fresh turmoil signaling trouble ahead under unified GOP control of Washington.
In the end, however, Johnson was able to flip two remaining holdouts who switched to support him, drawing applause from Republicans.
As the most recent speaker, Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to power.
Newly-elected House lawmakers started casting votes as Johnson's name was put forward for nomination by the GOP Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich.
“No speaker's perfect,” she said. But the goal is to make progress toward shared priorities for the country, she said. “None of us will get exactly what we want.”
The Louisiana Republican received a renewed nod of support from Trump. “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on social media.
What was once a ceremonial day with newly elected lawmakers arriving to be sworn into office, often with family, friends, and children in tow, has evolved into a high-stakes vote for the office of House speaker, among the most powerful elected positions in Washington.
While the Senate is able to convene on its own and has already elected party leaders — Sen. John Thune as the Republican majority leader and Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic minority — the House must first elect its speaker, a role required by the Constitution, second in the line of succession to the president.
