Mike Johnson needs near unanimous Republican support to keep his speakership as the new Congress convenes.
The new Congress is set to decide on whether or not to keep House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson with the start of the new session. Speaker Johnson's first term as speaker comes to an end on Friday, and for him to retain his job, he is going to need Republicans to nearly unanimously get behind him. Assuming all 435 members of the House show up for the first day of the new congressional term, it will take 218 votes for someone like Johnson to become speaker.
With all 215 Democrats expected to vote in support of Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Johnson can only afford to lose one GOP vote for the speakership. At least one Republican is expected to vote for someone else for speaker. Johnson enters Friday with the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he would vote for another Republican instead of Johnson. 'I've decided that life is too short to play along with fake fights and to play along and take votes that people know are wrong,' Massie told The Enquirer. 'Almost all of my colleagues know that Mike Johnson is not equipped to be speaker, but nobody wants to say the emperor has no clothes.' Massie also noted he would not vote 'present.' If two members of the House were to vote present, that would lower the threshold needed to become speaker to 217. The battle to become House Speaker is reminiscent of how the last congressional term began in 2023. With Republicans taking the House following the 2022 election, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy seemed poised to become speaker. After six days without a speaker, McCarthy made numerous concessions to a handful of Republicans standing in his way. On the 15th ballot, six Republicans voted present, with 216 voting in favor of McCarthy, allowing him to become speaker
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON REPUBLICAN PARTY ELECTION
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