Key events
Johnson wins House speakership on first ballot after brief Republican revolt
Republican Mike Johnson has won the House speakership on the first ballot, after swaying two members of his conference who initially voted against him.
When the gavel came down after a lengthy vote, Johnson had won 218 votes while Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, had won all 215 votes of his caucus. One member, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted for fellow House Republican Tom Emmer instead of Johnson.
Two House Republicans who initially cast ballots for other candidates, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, changed their votes to Johnson after conferring with the speaker off the floor while the vote remained open.
With a speaker elected, House members can now be formally sworn in, allowing the chamber to proceed with usual business.
To be clear: the first vote in the House speakership election remains open at this point, as the gavel has not come down yet, so members could still theoretically change their votes.
Mike Johnson just walked off the House floor with two of the dissenting Republicans, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, so it appears the speaker may attempt to sway them.
If Johnson can convince both members to support him, then he might still win the speakership on the first ballot.
Although the first vote in the speakership election has not yet been officially gaveled out, some House Republicans are already voicing their frustration with the three conference members who voted against Mike Johnson.
Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican of Texas who supported Johnson, said in a social media post, “119th Congress starts where the 118th left off. Tough to save a country when Republicans can’t get out of our own way.”
In January 2023, at the start of the last Congress, the House was at a standstill for days as Republican Kevin McCarthy required 15 ballots to capture the speakership.
As the House clerk works to finalize the first vote in the speakership race, the House Democratic whip, Katherine Clark, has sent a notice to caucus members advising them to return to the floor immediately.
Assuming the current vote count stands, the chamber is expected to proceed immediately to a second ballot, as no candidate for the speakership has yet won a majority of support.
The first speakership vote has not yet officially concluded, as Stacey Plaskett, the delegate representing the US Virgin Islands, posed a parliamentary inquiry as to why she and other delegates representing US territories and the District of Columbia were not called upon to participate in the speakership election.
Under House rules, only members representing one of the 50 US states can participate in the speakership election. Plaskett noted that delegates in the chamber collectively represent more than 4 million Americans who would not have a say in the speakership race.
Plaskett’s words were met with a standing ovation from Democrats while Republicans called for order in the chamber.
A sixth House Republican, Chip Roy of Texas, chose not to vote when his name was initially called by the reading clerk.
Even if all six House Republicans who initially withheld their support do end up voting for Mike Johnson, the incumbent speaker will not have enough support to capture the gavel on the first ballot, as at least three of his colleagues have already voted against him.
Third House Republican votes against Johnson
A third House Republican, Keith Self of Texas, has now voted against Mike Johnson for speaker. Self instead cast a ballot for his Republican colleague Byron Donalds.
Johnson told reporters this morning that he would continue with his speakership bid past a first ballot if necessary, and the election now appears all but certain to continue to a second ballot.
Johnson set to fail on first speakership ballot
At least two House Republicans have now voted against Mike Johnson’s speakership bid, likely dooming his chances of victory on the first ballot and potentially teeing up another vote.
Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina chose to vote for fellow House Republican Jim Jordan. Moments earlier, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted for majority whip Tom Emmer to serve as speaker.
Given House Republicans’ narrow majority, Johnson could only afford one defection and still capture the speakership, assuming all 434 active members were present and voted.
Johnson’s likely failure will set up another vote. House members cannot be sworn in until a new speaker is elected, grinding the chamber to a halt unless the matter is settled.
Massie votes against Johnson
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky has just become the first House Republican to vote against Mike Johnson in the speakership election.
Massie instead cast his ballot for Tom Emmer, the House majority whip who is seeking to hold on to that leadership post in the new Congress.
With Massie’s vote against him, Johnson can only afford one more Republican defection, and at least five members of his conference chose not to vote when their names were initially called.
At least five House Republicans do not vote on first reading
Two more House Republicans, Paul Gosar of Arizona and Andy Harris of Maryland, have chosen not to initially cast votes for speaker when their names were called.
Any of those five Republicans may still vote for Mike Johnson when the reading clerk says their names again after making it through the roll call, but the emerging trend is an alarming sign for the incumbent speaker, who can only afford a single defection in his conference.
As of now, no House Republican has cast a vote against Johnson, but Thomas Massie of Kentucky is expected to do so momentarily.
Two more House Republicans, Michael Cloud of Texas and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, did not initially vote when the reading clerk called their names.
If any of the three House Republicans who did not initially vote for Mike Johnson decides against supporting him, it will almost certainly kill the speaker’s chances of winning the gavel on the first ballot.
For your radar: representative Andy Biggs, a Republican of Arizona, did not initially vote when the reading clerk called his name.
Biggs has been identified as a potential vote against Mike Johnson, and he may be waiting to see how others vote before making his decision. The reading clerk will circle back to Biggs’ name once she has made her way through the rest of the roll call.
House speakership vote begins
The first vote in the House speakership election is now underway, as the reading clerk begins reading out the names of each member of the chamber.
If Republican Mike Johnson cannot win the support of 218 members, the chamber will have to proceed to a second ballot until a new speaker is elected.
For reference, Kevin McCarthy required 15 ballots to capture the gavel in 2023, but Johnson’s allies hope he can secure enough support for a victory in the first vote.
The vote will take some time, as the clerk must individually read out the names of all 434 active House members, but just two Republican defections will be enough to sink Johnson’s chances on the first ballot.
Democrats nominate Jeffries for speaker
Representative Pete Aguilar, the House Democratic caucus chair, is now nominating minority leader Hakeem Jeffries for the speakership.
Taking a swipe at Speaker Mike Johnson, who backed away from a bipartisan funding deal at the urging of Donald Trump last month, Aguilar described Jeffries as the only House leader “with a track record of compromise, conviction and compassion”.
“There is only one leader who knows how to negotiate a bipartisan deal and then stick to that deal,” Aguilar said. “House Democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber, Hakeem Jefferies of Brooklyn.”
Jeffries appears to have consolidated the support of all 215 House Democrats, so no defections are expected within the caucus.
Republicans formally nominate Johnson for speaker
With the quorum call completed, representative Lisa McClain, the House Republican conference chair, is now formally nominating Mike Johnson for the speakership.
McClain said that voters had given Republicans “a great opportunity to get America back on the right track” by delivering a governing trifecta for their party.
“We have an opportunity to take our country back with Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate majority leader John Thune and President Donald J Trump in charge,” McClain said, garnering applause from her Republican colleagues.
Johnson pledges ‘return to fiscal sanity’ ahead of speakership vote
Just minutes before the first speakership vote is set to get underway in the House, Mike Johnson released a list of governing promises to assuage some of his critics within the Republican conference.
“The American people have demanded an end to the status quo, and a return to fiscal sanity,” Johnson said in a social media post.
“Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to make meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and end the weaponization of government. Along with advancing President Trump’s America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory.”
Johnson’s promises included the creation of a working group to collaborate with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to identify potential areas of waste and the publication of a report examining government spending based on existing audits of federal agencies.
The promises may mitigate the concerns of hard-right lawmakers who expressed outrage over Johnson’s efforts to craft a bipartisan funding deal with Democrats last month.
The Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon reports that the speakership election may extend beyond the first ballot today:
House Speaker Mike Johnson may fail to secure reelection on Friday’s first ballot, according to South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman, who predicted to Politico that Johnson “will not get it” in the initial vote.
The warning comes after Johnson met Thursday with the House Freedom Caucus amid growing uncertainty over his bid. Norman revealed GOP lawmakers held discussions with Johnson last night about his leadership plans and strategy for managing their narrow majority.
While no serious challenger has emerged, Norman indicated earlier this week he and other GOP lawmakers are seeking assurances on several issues, particularly budget cuts, before lending their support.