House Speaker Johnson Wins Re-Election on Intense Opening Day of Congress

What Happened?

House Speaker Mike Johnson was re-elected Friday to secure the gavel on the first ballot in an intense floor vote 218-215 on the opening day of Congress.

Despite receiving an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, the Louisiana Republican faced opposition within his party as Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) had initially voted for other candidates.

That made Johnson's 218 needed votes a challenge to securing the gavel which appeared to fall two votes short at first.

The outcome unfolded differently from his predecessor Kevin McCarthy's drawn-out 15-round battle after being ousted in 2023.

Johnson's victory now marks the start of his first full term as speaker.

Why it Matters

In his acceptance speech, Johnson vowed Congress would 'drastically cut back the size and scope of government' and 'create a leaner, faster, and more vigorous federal workforce.'

Trump reportedly made three phone calls to the three congress members who had held out originally in a claim: 'Mike’s the only one who can be elected.'

Johnson's shaky support within his party comes as some conservatives have reportedly criticized his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress.

Johnson was able to secure and hold on to his current position as House Speaker with the support of Democrats who backed him following McCarthy’s vote out.

The margin for error was very slim after Kentucky representative Thomas Massie declared his intention Tuesday to vote against Johnson in a social media post.

Many concerns were raised if Johnson was not re-elected which could have reportedly delayed Trump's White House victory and brought immediate disruption to the House committee without a speaker.

For Republican leaders, it was key to unify with a slight majority to usher support behind Johnson with bigger tasks ahead.

'To oppose Johnson now weakens the GOP and strengthens Hakeem Jeffries,' Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told CNN.

Jonhson made that message clear to reporters of a 'unified government.'

'Republicans have control of the Senate and the White House and the House, so it's a very different situation than last Congress was, and they can hold me accountable for that,' Jonhson reportedly said when addressing holdouts within his party.

How it Affects You

New leadership under Trump is set to take place as Congress looks ahead to many bipartisan measures.

A Continuing Resolution to reach an agreement on a long-term funding plan in March is atop that list.

House leadership members will be put to the test to work collectively following this re-election bid decision.