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Mike Johnson was poised to lose an initial attempt to be re-elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives, as top Republicans struggled to avoid a chaotic start to the second Donald Trump era in Washington.
Johnson’s struggle to secure the speakership on the first ballot on Friday is a blow to Trump, who vigorously endorsed the Louisiana lawmaker for the top job in Congress’s lower chamber. But Johnson could still prevail in ensuing votes.
The vote ended with 216 in favour of Johnson, 215 for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, and three votes for others. This left the Republican short of the support needed to win the speakership. The vote had not yet been finalised just before 2pm in Washington.
The US legislature opened for business at noon, with the new Republican majority in the Senate taking office and the first task in the House being the election of a new Speaker for its slimmer Republican majority.
Johnson, who replaced Kevin McCarthy after his ousting in October 2023, needed near-unanimous support to be re-elected, given that Republicans control 219 seats compared with 215 seats held by Democrats.
But he suffered three initial defections on the first vote. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker, opposed Johnson’s re-election, backing Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, supported Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Keith Self of Texas supported Byron Donalds of Florida.
Before the vote, Trump had made a public appeal for Republicans to support Johnson. The vote is crucial in the short term because the House will need to have a Speaker in place to certify Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election on Monday, paving the way for his inauguration on January 20.
“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday ahead of the vote.
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party.”
Longer term, trouble for Johnson in keeping the speakership could be a bad sign for Trump’s ability to pass his agenda through the House, because it would show some Republicans are willing to buck his wishes and defy party discipline.
The process could now drag on for multiple rounds, as it did in early 2023 when McCarthy was chosen as Speaker after 15 votes and dramatic negotiations with the holdouts within his party.
Johnson on Thursday met a group of Republicans who have said they are undecided on whether to support him as Speaker — but he may now have to enter more intense negotiations with the holdouts to gain their backing.
Johnson faced growing opposition to his speakership after dozens of rank-and-file conservatives were angered before the Christmas holiday when he proposed a government funding deal that required compromise with Democrats to ensure its passage.
However, Johnson has stayed very close to Trump and his inner circle in recent weeks, co-ordinating plans to quickly pass his top priorities through Congress, and relied on the president-elect’s support to overcome the resistance.
No other candidate has emerged as a possible rival to Johnson for the speakership, but the Republican discontent is concentrated within the House Freedom Caucus, which includes the most ardent hardline conservatives. Even if Johnson survives the speakership vote, members of the House Freedom Caucus are expected to remain a thorn in his side as he tries to pass Trump-backed legislation.
