Johnson Triumphs in First Ballot for Speaker Re-election
In a 218–215 vote, Johnson was elected during the first ballot despite minor disruptions at the beginning of the voting process.
On January 3, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to take on his leadership role again in the lower chamber.
With a close vote of 218–215, Johnson secured his position on the first ballot, overcoming initial turbulence early in the voting.
There were early indicators of dissent within the House GOP caucus, as some members—starting with Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas)—voiced concerns or outright opposition towards Johnson.
In normal circumstances, this wouldn’t pose a significant issue, but with Republicans holding just 219 seats—one more than the majority threshold—Johnson required the backing of nearly all his conference members.
Even with President-elect Donald Trump endorsing Johnson, the outcome remained uncertain as the 119th Congress convened for its first day.
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Johnson committed to implementing spending reforms, conducting audits of federal agency budgets, and undertaking thorough reviews of authorizations and appropriations.
“Republicans have a mission to advance the America First Agenda, and as Speaker, this will be my main focus,” he stated.
These commitments are aimed at appeasing House conservatives who have shown dissatisfaction with Johnson’s previous decisions regarding government funding and spending policies.
Although Johnson initially seemed at risk of losing the first ballot, he ultimately persuaded some dissenters to change their votes.
In the initial voting, Johnson garnered 216 votes, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received 215 votes, and three votes were cast for other Republican candidates.
Massie chose to support Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the GOP whip.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) was the second defecting vote, backing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), while Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) cast his vote for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
Many members from the House Freedom Caucus opted to abstain during that particular ballot, including the current chairman, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.).
Other abstentions included Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a former chairman of the Freedom Caucus and Johnson critic, along with Reps. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Chip Roy (R-Texas), who also abstained even though they were present in the chamber.
They ultimately shifted their support by the end of the first ballot to prevent an unexpected election of Jeffries.
Several other conservatives supported Johnson from the outset of the voting.
This included Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a former leader of the House Freedom Caucus.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) also voted for Johnson but emphasized that she expected him to meet their expectations.
“Don’t let us down, Mr. Speaker,” Boebert remarked.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), another conservative from the House Freedom Caucus, quietly backed Johnson when called to vote.
