Republican Mike Johnson re-elected as US House Speaker

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump-backed Republican Mike Johnson was re-elected as the US House Speaker in a close race after two opponents switched their votes. Johnson secured the top spot in the chamber with 218 votes, securing just enough support to be re-elected, CNN reported.

Johnson’s re-election was made possible after key Republican opponents flipped their votes back to Johnson at the last minute. The House speaker Johnson said that he did not make any promises to opponents Keith Self and Ralph Norman to flip their votes.

Johnson, who could only lose one vote with the razor-thin majority of 219-215, needed the support of Self and Norman as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie maintained his opposition.

U.S. House Speaker Election #119thCongress

First Ballot Result:

Johnson – 218
Jeffries – 215
Others – 1
Present – 0

“Therefore, the honorable Mike Johnson…is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 119th Congress.” pic.twitter.com/pY82HjHDtH

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 3, 2025

According to CNN, Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, also said that no deals were made to get Johnson’s detractors on board, adding that instead, it “was just a matter of getting it done” and a result of “persistence.”

Notable, it was Donald Trump who convinced the opposition representatives to vote for Johnson to secure the victory on the first ballot, multiple sources told CNN. Trump congratulated Johnson after the Republican from Louisiana was elected speaker.

“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress. Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The speaker, in his first remark, called for a moment of silence to mark the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. “Of course, these are difficult days in our home state of Louisiana, where I come from”, Johnson said in the House. “We all know about the terrorist attack in New Orleans and it’s really shaken our state. People are reeling from that attack.”

An ISIS supporter rammed a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during New Year celebrations, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.

In 2023, Mike Johnson was elected as the 56th Speaker of the House. (ANI)