US House begins leadership vote in a test of unity for Trump’s Republicans

Though most Republicans said they would vote to reelect Johnson, the outcome was uncertain. Because Republicans control the House by a razor-thin 219-215 majority, he could fall short if as few as two Republicans vote against him. At least one has vowed to do so.

The chamber’s 434 lawmakers in attendance stood up and announced their votes one by one, in a display of pomp and ceremony that could take more than an hour.

The vote could be an early indication of the party’s ability to hang together as it advances Trump’s agenda of tax cuts and border enforcement. It also could test Trump’s clout on Capitol Hill, where a handful of Republicans have already shown a willingness to defy him.

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House Republicans have been racked by internal divisions over the last two years. Johnson was elevated to speaker after the party ousted his predecessor Kevin McCarthy in the middle of his term.

Ahead of the vote, Johnson said he would keep trying if he fell short on the first round of balloting.

The mild-mannered Louisiana representative, 52, was vaulted from obscurity into one of Washington’s most powerful jobs during three weeks of turmoil in October 2023, when Republicans forced out McCarthy and struggled to agree on a successor. The conservative Christian lawyer emerged as a consensus pick, but has since struggled to keep his party unified.

He has sought to build a close relationship with Trump, who endorsed him on Monday following weeks of uncertainty.

“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted online on Friday. Trump returns to the White House on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

Maverick Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a constant cause of trouble for his party’s leaders, has vowed to vote against Johnson and said he thinks several others will join him. “I suspect there will be one or two here pretty soon,” he told Reuters.

If Massie’s prediction bears out, that would leave Johnson short of the votes needed to remain in the post. Several other party members have been coy about whether they would back him.

So far, no other Republican has publicly hinted at challenging Johnson for the role.

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More than one vote against Johnson, or multiple Republican abstentions in the form of “present” votes, would be enough to block Johnson’s reelection if all Democrats vote for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, as they are expected to do.

The House went through 15 rounds of voting over four days in 2023 before electing McCarthy speaker.

Whoever secures the speakership – a role that is second in line to the presidency after the vice president – will have a big job ahead. In addition to taking on Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda, Congress will need to address the nation’s debt ceiling later this year.

With the federal government already more than $36 trillion in debt, many congressional Republicans are expected to demand significant spending cuts.

Republicans were also sworn into their new 53-47 Senate majority on Friday with Senator John Thune as their new leader, succeeding long-serving Senator Mitch McConnell, who is stepping aside from leadership but remaining in office.

Johnson angered some conservatives by repeatedly turning to Democrats to provide the votes to pass critical legislation, like bills to keep government agencies operating. He also faced a last-minute challenge late last month when Trump told House Republicans to scrap a government funding deal, demanding it also raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

A revised version of that bill – not including Trump’s debt-ceiling demand – passed the House only a few hours before the government would have shut down, and it received more support from Democrats than Republicans.

Other Republicans – trying to claim the mantle of defending Trump’s second-term agenda – have made demands in exchange for their support.

Republican Representative Victoria Spartz this week released a wish-list of fiscal structural restraints in the year ahead, opening the door to Johnson winning her over.

One other element working in Johnson’s favor for staying on as speaker is the calendar.

Congress is scheduled to meet on Monday to certify Trump’s presidential election victory, a function it will be unable to perform without a speaker.

Johnson has also looked to make his path for the next two years easier, by changing a rule agreed to by McCarthy that allowed any one member of the House to call for the speaker’s ouster through what is known as a “motion to vacate.” Johnson’s proposed rules would require nine members of the majority to agree before forcing the type of vote that led to McCarthy’s ouster.