Republican Mike Johnson reelected House speaker | Political News

Republican Mike Johnson received reelection to the House speakership on a first poll Friday, pushing previous GOP hard-right holdouts and buoyed with a nod of assist from President-elect Donald Trump.

A group of hardline Republicans convened within the back of the House chamber during a tense roll call on the primary day of the new Congress, one after the other declining to vote or selecting one other lawmaker. The standoff sparked recent turmoil signaling hassle forward underneath unified GOP control of Washington.

In the tip, nevertheless, Johnson was capable of flip two remaining holdouts who switched to assist him, drawing applause from Republicans.

As the latest speaker, Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not solely his own survival however President-elect Trump’s formidable agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to energy.

Newly-elected House lawmakers began casting votes as Johnson’s title was put ahead for nomination by the GOP Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich.

“No speaker’s perfect,” she stated. But the aim is to make progress towards shared priorities for the nation, she stated. “None of us will get exactly what we want.”

Democrats put ahead their own chief, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, as the one one with a observe file of compromise and achievement within the face of “chaos and dysfunction” underneath the GOP majority.

“House Democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber,” stated Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., of Jeffries, recounting the numerous occasions their votes bailed out Johnson to make sure passage of important laws.

With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson arrived with outward confidence after working into the night time to sway hardline holdouts. A flop by Johnson may throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil with out a House speaker. Even backing from Trump himself, often a sure guess for Republicans, was no guarantee Johnson will keep in energy.

“We don’t have time for drama,” Johnson stated as he walked into the Capitol.

The Louisiana Republican obtained a renewed nod of assist from Trump. “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on social media.

What was as soon as a ceremonial day with newly elected lawmakers arriving to be sworn into workplace, typically with household, buddies and youngsters in tow, has advanced into a high-stakes vote for the workplace of House speaker, among the many strongest elected positions in Washington. Vice President Kamala Harris was swearing within the senators.

While the Senate is ready to convene on its own and has already elected social gathering leaders – Sen. John Thune because the Republican majority chief and Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic minority – the House should first elect its speaker, a position required by the Constitution, second within the line of succession to the president.

Congress has been right here earlier than, when it took Republicans almost a week and 15 rounds of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker in 2023, a spectacle unseen in trendy occasions. McCarthy was then dumped by his social gathering, a historic first, however he was additionally half of a long record of GOP audio system chased to early exits.

The stakes are larger this yr as Trump prepares to return to the White House with the House and Senate in GOP control and promising to ship huge on a 100-day agenda.

Johnson has been working diligently to forestall defeat, spending New Year’s Day at Mar-a-Lago as he positions himself alongside Trump. The speaker typically portrays himself because the “quarterback” who might be executing the political performs known as by the “coach,” the president-elect.

But Johnson additionally warned that with out a House speaker there could be a “constitutional crisis” heading into Jan. 6, when Congress by law is required to depend the electoral votes for president, weeks earlier than Trump is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20.

“We don’t have any time to waste, and I think that everybody recognizes that,” he stated.

Johnson instructions one of the slimmest majorities in trendy occasions, having misplaced seats within the November election. With the sudden resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the tally dropped to 219-215. That leaves Johnson counting on nearly each Republican for assist within the face of Democratic opposition, although the everyday 218 majority of 435 members needed may shift with absences and others voting solely “present.”

Heading into Friday he didn’t have the complete assist needed.

Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy was among the many most notable holdouts, an unflinching member of the Freedom Caucus who lashed into Republican management’s handling of the year-end spending invoice for failing to cut spending and cling to House guidelines.

“Something MUST change,” Roy posted on social media. He ultimately voted for Johnson.

One exhausting no was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted for a totally different GOP Leader, as did different far-right Republicans, together with some who helped topple McCarthy.

What’s unclear is what different concessions Johnson could make to win assist. Two years in the past, McCarthy handed out prime favors that appeared to solely weaken his maintain on energy.

Already, Johnson has clawed back one of these modifications, with a new House rule pushed by centrist conservatives that may require at the least 9 members of the bulk social gathering on any decision to oust the speaker – raising the brink McCarthy had lowered to only one.

“I think the holdouts are going to have to realize that, listen, Trump is right all the time,” stated Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, exiting the speaker’s workplace late Thursday. “Just know that Trump is right all the time, it’ll help you make a decision real simple.”

In some ways, Johnson has no alternative however to endure political hazing by his colleagues, as they remind him who has leverage of their lopsided relationship. He was a last-ditch alternative for the workplace, rising from the back bench as soon as different leaders failed within the aftermath of McCarthy’s ouster.

Democrats underneath Jeffries should not anticipated not help save Johnson, as they’ve up to now with their votes when he confronted a risk of elimination.

The speaker’s election is set to dominate the opening of the new Congress, which additionally brings a roster of history-making members, because the Senate expects to shortly start hearings on Trump’s nominees for high Cabinet and administrative positions.

In the Senate, two Black ladies – Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland – have been being sworn in, each sporting fits in white of the suffragettes, the primary time within the nation’s historical past two Black ladies senators will serve on the similar time.

Sen.-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey is also making historical past as the primary Korean American to hitch the chamber.

In the House, Sarah McBride is the primary brazenly transgender particular person within the Congress.

And Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who not too long ago suffered a fall abroad and underwent hip alternative surgical procedure, will make her own return to Washington, a reminder of the ability she wielded when Democrats final held the bulk.

Associated Press author Adriana Gomez Licon and Matt Brown contributed to this report.