Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House on the first ballot Friday after two Republicans who initially defected changed their votes in his favor.
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Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House on the first ballot Friday after two Republicans who initially defected changed their votes in his favor.
In the final vote tally, Johnson received the votes of 218 out of 219 Republicans. All the Democrats in attendance rallied around House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, giving him 215 votes.
The House of Commons remained stuck for nearly an hour, waiting to see if one of the three defectors would tip over and give Mr Johnson the victory.
The senators were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after noon Friday.
In the final vote tally, officially released just after 2:30 p.m. ET, Mr. Johnson received the votes of 218 out of 219 Republicans. In an expected move, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voted for someone other than Mr. Johnson and instead supported House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.). .
All Democrats in attendance rallied behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, giving him 215 votes.
The House of Commons remained deadlocked for nearly an hour, trying to determine whether any of the three defectors – a threshold sufficient to move the Speaker’s vote to a second vote – would tip Mr Johnson to victory.
In the end, Republicans Rep. Ralph Norman (South Carolina) and Rep. Keith Self (Texas), who initially voted for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Bryon Donald of Florida, respectively, again He changed his vote to support Johnson.
The roll call vote on the House floor was initially tense, with several Republicans who had not been vocal about supporting Johnson until Friday not voting at all when their names were called. After all the names were read once, they registered to vote for Johnson.
Prime Minister Johnson spoke on the House floor after his victory, declaring that the 119th Congress “could be one of the most consequential in the history of this great nation.”
“As long as we work together, we will do the right thing and put America first.”
Speakers cited inflation, reducing the size and scope of the federal government, and first and foremost the border as top priorities.
“This is a powerful new coalition in our country. This is a coalition that insists on purging American policy for the last time, and burying it in the grave of history’s mistakes because it was such a big mistake. That’s why this Congress stands now. and listen to the voice of the people.”
Despite the delays and initial uncertainty, Johnson’s ultimate success in the first vote presented a very different scenario from the last time a new Parliament convened in January 2023. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) voted 15 times that year. It took more than four days to secure the gavel.
He was sacked nine months later and replaced by Johnson in October 2023.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted this week that he would “get it done” with the first vote, including on Friday morning before the vote. But Mr. Massey has expressed doubts about the speaker in recent weeks, pledging to vote against Mr. Johnson and several other Republicans, particularly on a funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The response sparked fears that the chamber would be in a McCarthy-like situation again. .
President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson on Monday, saying in a social media post that he has his “complete and complete support.” He later reiterated his support to reporters at a New Year’s Eve event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, adding that he would call on reluctant members to lobby Johnson “if necessary.”
Mr McCarthy has had to negotiate with his own resistance in 2023 and make concessions, such as giving one MP the power to trigger a vote to remove him, but Mr Johnson was on hand to take the gavel on Friday morning. He claimed that he did not engage in any transactions.
Proposed House rules for the new Congress, announced by Republican leaders on Wednesday, would increase the number of members who can vote to remove the speaker from one to nine.
With Johnson officially securing the gavel, both chambers can begin work on the 119th Congress. Lawmakers are scheduled to certify Trump’s election victory on Monday ahead of the president-elect’s inauguration on January 20.
The senators were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after noon Friday. The Senate has 99 members, and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who was elected to the Senate as the state’s representative in November, will step down as governor later this month.
Republicans will win a trifecta in Washington in November, giving them control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.
