Kentucky congressman to vote for Johnson on the floor after voting present Tuesday
From CNN's Lauren Fox
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie said Wednesday that he will vote for speaker designee Mike Johnson after voting present Tuesday night.
"After speaking with him this morning, I’m committed to vote for Mike Johnson when we go to the floor of the House. He has my full support," Massie said in a post on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
Massie was among three holdouts who didn't back Johnson during the last vote. Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei, another holdout, also shared Wednesday that he will now vote for Johnson.
9 min ago
Sen. Susan Collins says she was going to "Google" Johnson this morning
From CNN's Lauren Fox
Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations committee who would have to work with the eventual House speaker to avoid a government shutdown, told CNN that she doesn't know who speaker designee Mike Johnson is.
"I was going to Google him this morning as a matter of fact," the Maine Republican said when asked what it would be like to work with Johnson on spending issues.
Remember: Congress faces a November 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown but without a speaker, the House cannot pass any bills, including the necessary spending legislation.
25 min ago
Nevada congressman to back Johnson's speakership bid on the House floor after voting present Tuesday
From CNN's Lauren Fox
After voting present last night in conference, Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei spoke to speaker designee Rep. Mike Johnson for about a half hour last night and committed to backing him on the floor. Amodei told CNN that his message to Johnson was simple, he just needed to know him a bit better since the two have never really run in the same circles.
Specifically, Amodei wanted to share some specific lands issues he had in the Silver State and gauge whether Johnson would be receptive to hearing him out, addressing some concerns. He has two lands bills he does want to get to the floor. One for northern Nevada and one for Clark County. He told CNN he wanted to talk through the issues with Johnson.
Amodei said that he wasn’t looking for a commitment or a promise, but wanted to ensure that a future speaker from the South would understand some specific issues for a western member.
Amodei said he will also meet with Johnson’s staff this morning to continue the conversation about Nevada lands issues.
25 min ago
Trump weighs in on Rep. Mike Johnson’s House speakership bid
From CNN's Kristen Holmes
Former President Trump said he wouldn’t endorse in the speaker’s race Wednesday — but then leant support to the nominee Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
"My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT," Trump posted on Truth Social.
On Tuesday, Trump posted what appeared to be text messages from GOP lawmaker and Trump ally Chuck Fleischmann to a Trump campaign aide.
“I’m in speaker race now… Please tell President Trump…Thanks,” wrote Fleischmann who briefly entered the race Tuesday but then was eliminated in the first round of voting.
“All candidates now 100 percent Trump… I preached Trump in my speech,” the messages continue.
Trump has been known to post text messages from allies as quotes on his social media platform. The text messages, confirmed by the Trump campaign, show the grip that Trump still has over large parts of the Republican Party as he seeks a second term in the White House.
Sources close to the former president indicated that Trump did not have strong feelings on Johnson but was pleased to see a Trump aligned nominee.
The Louisiana Republican, who is GOP deputy whip and vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, was first elected to the House in 2016. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.
Johnson also sent an email from a personal email account in 2020 to every House Republican soliciting signatures for an amicus brief in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from multiple states.
After the election was called in favor of Joe Biden on November 7, 2020, Johnson posted on X, then known as Twitter, “I have just called President Trump to say this: ‘Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.’”
Although Trump said he won’t endorse anyone in the speaker’s race Wednesday, he leant support to Johnson in a post on Truth Social.
“In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!” Trump posted.
Johnson serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He is also a former chair of the Republican Study Committee.
After receiving a degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Johnson took on roles as a college professor and conservative talk radio host. He began his political career in the Louisiana legislature, where he served from 2015 to 2017, before being elected to Congress in Louisiana’s Fourth District.
Mike Johnson set to bring battle for speakership to House floor as GOP leadership crisis continues
From CNN's Clare Foran and Haley Talbot
Rep. Mike Johnson is set to take his fight for the speakership to the House floor on Wednesday, a pivotal moment for House Republicans that comes amid uncertainty over whether the Louisiana lawmaker can secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.
Johnson, who serves as the House GOP conference vice chairman, secured the nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. The vote capped off a chaotic day that started with Republicans picking Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to be their latest nominee only for him to drop out hours later after facing stiff resistance from the right flank of the conference and a rebuke from former President Donald Trump. The day ended with a vote to elect a new nominee – this time, Johnson won out.
The GOP conference is under increasing pressure as the House remains paralyzed without a speaker. But Republicans have so far struggled to unite behind a successor to Kevin McCarthy following his historic ouster. The vote to push out McCarthy plunged the House into uncharted territory and it has remained unclear whether any candidate can win the gavel in the aftermath of the unprecedented move.
Following the nomination vote, House Republicans took another vote to gauge the nominee’s support within the conference. There were around 20 members absent for that vote and Johnson can only lose four votes on the floor, creating uncertainty over whether he will have the needed votes for the gavel.
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson said Tuesday evening. “The intention is to go to the House floor tomorrow and make this official. So we will be doing that.”
Emmer was the third Republican to win the GOP nomination only to then exit the race after failing to lock up the necessary votes to win the gavel, following Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise also of Louisiana.
After winning the party nomination, Emmer faced swift opposition from the right flank of his conference as well as a rebuke from Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Emmer a “Globalist RINO,” and said that voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.”
New speaker nominee: Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is set to take his fight for the speakership to the House floor today after being selected as the latest speaker nominee yesterday when Rep. Tom Emmer dropped out of the race. Johnson has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Next steps: Johnson survived a key follow-up vote Tuesday evening, and announced the full House will vote on a speaker at noon ET Wednesday. It remains uncertain whether he can secure the votes needed to win the gavel. Johnson, who is the vice chairman of the House GOP conference, can only afford to lose four Republican votes if all members are present and voting on the floor.
Chamber in limbo: House Republicans face intensifying pressure to elect a new speaker three weeks after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted. The House remains effectively frozen — a dire situation as Congress faces a funding deadline in November and as crisis unfolds abroad in Ukraine and with Israel’s war against Hamas.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie said Wednesday that he will vote for speaker designee Mike Johnson after voting present Tuesday night.
"After speaking with him this morning, I’m committed to vote for Mike Johnson when we go to the floor of the House. He has my full support," Massie said in a post on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.
Massie was among three holdouts who didn't back Johnson during the last vote. Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei, another holdout, also shared Wednesday that he will now vote for Johnson.
Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations committee who would have to work with the eventual House speaker to avoid a government shutdown, told CNN that she doesn't know who speaker designee Mike Johnson is.
"I was going to Google him this morning as a matter of fact," the Maine Republican said when asked what it would be like to work with Johnson on spending issues.
Remember: Congress faces a November 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown but without a speaker, the House cannot pass any bills, including the necessary spending legislation.
After voting present last night in conference, Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei spoke to speaker designee Rep. Mike Johnson for about a half hour last night and committed to backing him on the floor. Amodei told CNN that his message to Johnson was simple, he just needed to know him a bit better since the two have never really run in the same circles.
Specifically, Amodei wanted to share some specific lands issues he had in the Silver State and gauge whether Johnson would be receptive to hearing him out, addressing some concerns. He has two lands bills he does want to get to the floor. One for northern Nevada and one for Clark County. He told CNN he wanted to talk through the issues with Johnson.
Amodei said that he wasn’t looking for a commitment or a promise, but wanted to ensure that a future speaker from the South would understand some specific issues for a western member.
Amodei said he will also meet with Johnson’s staff this morning to continue the conversation about Nevada lands issues.
Former President Trump said he wouldn’t endorse in the speaker’s race Wednesday — but then leant support to the nominee Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
"My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT," Trump posted on Truth Social.
On Tuesday, Trump posted what appeared to be text messages from GOP lawmaker and Trump ally Chuck Fleischmann to a Trump campaign aide.
“I’m in speaker race now… Please tell President Trump…Thanks,” wrote Fleischmann who briefly entered the race Tuesday but then was eliminated in the first round of voting.
“All candidates now 100 percent Trump… I preached Trump in my speech,” the messages continue.
Trump has been known to post text messages from allies as quotes on his social media platform. The text messages, confirmed by the Trump campaign, show the grip that Trump still has over large parts of the Republican Party as he seeks a second term in the White House.
Sources close to the former president indicated that Trump did not have strong feelings on Johnson but was pleased to see a Trump aligned nominee.
The Louisiana Republican, who is GOP deputy whip and vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, was first elected to the House in 2016. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.
Johnson also sent an email from a personal email account in 2020 to every House Republican soliciting signatures for an amicus brief in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from multiple states.
After the election was called in favor of Joe Biden on November 7, 2020, Johnson posted on X, then known as Twitter, “I have just called President Trump to say this: ‘Stay strong and keep fighting, sir! The nation is depending upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.’”
Although Trump said he won’t endorse anyone in the speaker’s race Wednesday, he leant support to Johnson in a post on Truth Social.
“In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!” Trump posted.
Johnson serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He is also a former chair of the Republican Study Committee.
After receiving a degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Johnson took on roles as a college professor and conservative talk radio host. He began his political career in the Louisiana legislature, where he served from 2015 to 2017, before being elected to Congress in Louisiana’s Fourth District.
Rep. Mike Johnson is set to take his fight for the speakership to the House floor on Wednesday, a pivotal moment for House Republicans that comes amid uncertainty over whether the Louisiana lawmaker can secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel.
Johnson, who serves as the House GOP conference vice chairman, secured the nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. The vote capped off a chaotic day that started with Republicans picking Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to be their latest nominee only for him to drop out hours later after facing stiff resistance from the right flank of the conference and a rebuke from former President Donald Trump. The day ended with a vote to elect a new nominee – this time, Johnson won out.
The GOP conference is under increasing pressure as the House remains paralyzed without a speaker. But Republicans have so far struggled to unite behind a successor to Kevin McCarthy following his historic ouster. The vote to push out McCarthy plunged the House into uncharted territory and it has remained unclear whether any candidate can win the gavel in the aftermath of the unprecedented move.
Following the nomination vote, House Republicans took another vote to gauge the nominee’s support within the conference. There were around 20 members absent for that vote and Johnson can only lose four votes on the floor, creating uncertainty over whether he will have the needed votes for the gavel.
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson said Tuesday evening. “The intention is to go to the House floor tomorrow and make this official. So we will be doing that.”
Emmer was the third Republican to win the GOP nomination only to then exit the race after failing to lock up the necessary votes to win the gavel, following Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise also of Louisiana.
After winning the party nomination, Emmer faced swift opposition from the right flank of his conference as well as a rebuke from Trump. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Emmer a “Globalist RINO,” and said that voting for him “would be a tragic mistake.”
