Rep. Mike Johnson was humiliated on Friday after he failed to be reelected as House Speaker in the first ballot with the Republican party in chaos.
In scenes similar to the circus that led to Kevin McCarthy being ousted in 2023, members of the GOP staged a protest by voting against their leader.
With an ultra-slim majority, just two GOP ‘No’ votes were enough to stop Johnson from victory.
Ultimately, three Republicans bucked Johnson in the first round, a slap in the face to President-elect Donald Trump who has for weeks touted his support for the speaker’s reelection.
Those three Republicans who voted against Johnson were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas.
Though just a handful of Republicans ultimately voted against Johnson, it was still enough to tank his reelection bid and force multiple ballots.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., declared for weeks ahead of the vote that he was against reelecting the speaker, meaning only one more GOP ‘No’ vote would be enough to tank Johnson’s chances.
Massie voted for Johnson’s deputy, Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., instead.
Shockingly, even more GOP members initially withheld their vote.
House Freedom Caucus (HFC) chair Andy Harris and some other members of the group did not answer when called upon to cast their vote, stirring drama in the chamber as members sat on edge waiting to see if they had to go through the lengthy voting process again.
Reps. Andy Biggs, Andrew Clyde, Michael Cloud, Paul Gosar, Chip Ropy, all members of the HFC in addition to Harris, did not vote.
Later they were called again, and most cast their votes for Johnson.
Minutes before the vote, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., posted on X that the vote for speaker will not be finished after one ballot: ‘This will go to multiple rounds.’ Though Burchett ultimately voted for Johnson.
Then, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., an HFC member, voted for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, causing Johnson to lose the vote on the first ballot.
After him Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, voted for Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., further exacerbating Johnson’s first ballot loss.
Just ahead of the vote Friday President-elect Trump made clear to all House Republicans where he stood in a Truth Social post: ‘Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support.’
‘A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! – A big affirmation, indeed. MAGA!’
If the speaker elections drag on, the engine of Congress may have stall and disrupt Donald Trump’s election certification planned for Monday, January 6.
Since the House cannot function without a speaker, should the vote go to multiple ballots over multiple days the chamber may have not be in order to certify the 2024 election results on time.
Knowing this, Johnson warned the GOP they could not ‘afford a palace drama.’
He also posted on X just ahead of the speaker vote a list of promises that he would keep to placate GOP members concerned with the federal budget deficit.
One of those promises was to create a group of outside experts to work alongside Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut spending.
So Johnson took meeting after meeting on Thursday with conservative members of his conference to hear their concerns, and to convince them to vote for him.
Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Victoria Spartz, Harris, Biggs, Ralph Norman, Crane, and more lawmakers on the fence about voting met with the speaker on Thursday.
Roy, R-Texas, said Johnson was a good friend, but remained undecided until the vote. He’s been critical of the speaker for his handling of the spending deal to avoid a government shutdown last month.
Spartz, meanwhile, told reporters just head of the vote that she had decided to support Johnson. Though Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., indicated before the vote that the speakership will go to multiple ballots.
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., nominated Johnson to again become speaker with a glowing speech.
‘Over 14 months ago Mike Johnson took on a daunting task. No speaker is perfect, and no one will ever be. However, achieving perfection requires incremental gains and hard decisions along the way, none of us will get exactly what we want.’
‘Mike has remained the same kind and caring person he was before he assumed this role … It is my honor to represent our conference’s nominee for the speaker of the people’s house, the Honorable Mike Johnson from the state of Louisiana.’
Though her rousing address was not enough to get all Republicans on board, and now the party will force further votes on Johnson’s reelection until a speaker is chosen.
