Johnson Shafted On 1st Speaker Vote

(Update 1330ET): Looks like it won’t be one-and-done for Johnson, who just lost two Republican votes (he could only afford to lose one) on the first round of voting.

The Republican Main Street Caucus will now be ‘holding a gaggle’ before they move on to the next vote…

Republican Main Street Caucus will be holding a gaggle after this first speakership vote concludes on the House steps, per source with knowledge

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 3, 2025

Here’s a breakdown of the 1st round votes:

• Johnson 216
• Jeffries 215
• Others 3
• Massie (R) for Emmer
• Norman (R) for Jordan
• Self (R) for Donalds

*  *  *

With the House set to vote today on whether or not Speaker Mike Johnson gets to keep his gavel, President-elect Donald Trump wished him luck.

“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party.”

The vote comes after a week of intense campaigning by Johnson to win over conservative holdouts.

And with a slim 219-215 margin, Johnson can only afford one GOP defection if all members vote for a candidate. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has already said he wouldn’t vote for Johnson, while other lawmakers – mostly Freedom Caucus members – say they are undecided.

Rep MTG Is Voting FOR Mike Johnson As Speaker Of The House

“All of you at home and myself included are ready for the drama to end…let’s put aside our pride… and in-fighting. It’s time to come together as Republicans… I’ll be voting for Mike Johnson.” pic.twitter.com/NCeIpxlG43

— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) January 3, 2025

“Republicans as a whole are going to have to put down their egos a little bit and just focus on getting the job done,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) wants to Chair the House Rules Committee in exchange for supporting Johnson – something whih Rep. Lauren Bobert (R-CO) said would ‘secure the vote on the first round.’

Tonight @laurenboebert tells @mattgaetz that:
“Mike Johnson coming out and committing to Chip Roy being the Chairman of the Rules Committee would secure the vote on the first round.”

Click the link to watch tonight’s episode at
9PM ET | 6PM PThttps://t.co/Bgm0eOgOZi pic.twitter.com/r3IlNTwMLi

— One America News (@OANN) January 3, 2025

With 215 Democrats expected to back their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Johnson must maintain near-unanimous Republican support.

The House will meet at Noon on Friday for a quorum call, which will be followed by the Speaker election. The vote will be presided over by the House clerk, who will call out the names of hundreds of members-elect one-by-one in alphabetical order.

Johnson is hoping for a 1st round ballot win in order to avoid what happened in Jan. 2023, when it took more than a dozen ballots to select Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). If Johnson isn’t elected by a majority, the process will be repeated as many times as necessary until a speaker is chosen.

“We cannot afford any palace drama here,” Johnson told Fox News on Thursday, and telling CNN on Friday, “I expect we can get it done on the first round.”

Speaker Johnson: “We don’t have time for drama.” pic.twitter.com/hz1S3xB7XH

— Sam Lisker (@slisker) January 3, 2025

Johnson has been working the phones all week to lock up votes, while attempting to avoid or minimize concessions that could cause Democrats to shut down future votes on various issues, WaPo reports.

Trump’s endorsement earlier this week provided Johnson with a significant boost, signaling the former president’s belief that there is no viable alternative candidate. Johnson underscored his alignment with Trump’s agenda, highlighting plans for increased border security spending and tax cuts as part of a coordinated strategy session at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Day.

Hard-Liners Seek Assurances

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), a prominent Freedom Caucus member, acknowledged Trump’s endorsement as “huge” but remained cautious. Norman met with Johnson alongside fellow hard-liners, seeking commitments on substantial tax cuts, spending reductions, and enhanced border security. After the meeting, which lasted about an hour, Norman expressed optimism, stating he was “very happy with the discussion.”

Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), chair of the Freedom Caucus, emphasized the need for procedural changes, including more time for lawmakers to review legislation before floor votes and greater flexibility to propose amendments. Johnson indicated he was in discussions with Republican colleagues about adjusting the legislative process but refrained from providing specifics.

In the wake of McCarthy’s removal, the Republican conference endured weeks of infighting, rejecting several senior leadership candidates before coalescing around Johnson as a surprise compromise choice.

Meanwhile, Republicans will also cast a Friday vote on a new rules package aimed at stabilizing leadership by raising the threshold to initiate a vote to remove the speaker. The proposal increases the number of members required to trigger such a motion from one to nine and mandates that both the sponsor and co-sponsors of the motion must belong to the majority party.

Democrats have criticized the rule change, with Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, warning it could undermine accountability. The proposal “would, for the first time in history, shield the speaker from accountability to the entire chamber by making it so that only Republicans can move to vacate the chair,” McGovern said.