The House is set to vote Friday on whether to re-elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as speaker—and while President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement should pave the way to his re-election, a small group of Republicans are noncommittal, raising the possibility for a drawn out election process that could delay the start of the 119th Congress.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with the media after the House Republican Conference ... [+]
Trump endorsed Johnson Monday and told partygoers at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve, “he’s the one that can win right now,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
With a narrow 219-215 GOP majority in the House, Johnson can afford to lose no more than one vote to win re-election, and at least one Republican, Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., has been outspoken about his plans to vote against Johnson, though no alternative candidate has been identified.
Massie has cited bipartisan bills Johnson helped pass in explaining his opposition, including the government spending deal passed last month, legislation to send additional aid to Ukraine and the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Roughly a dozen other Republicans have also said they are undecided on whether they’ll vote for Johnson, according to multiple reports, including Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who railed against his Republican colleagues in a fiery speech on the House floor for failing to cut spending more in the most recent government funding bill.
Some members are hinging their support for Johnson on contingencies such as “meaningful cuts” to government spending, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Axios.
If the House does not elect a speaker by Jan. 6, the date it’s scheduled to certify the results of the November election, it could delay the certification process until a new speaker is elected. The House can not officially begin any business until a new speaker is elected.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and a key Trump ally, has also endorsed Johnson, writing on X in response to Massie’s post that it was a “bad idea” for Trump to back Johnson “you might be right, but let’s see how it goes.”
Johnson was elected speaker in October last year after a three-week vacancy following the unprecedented ouster of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. in a far-right mutiny. Johnson has grown closer to Trump since becoming speaker and will play a key role in spearheading Congress’ role in installing Trump’s second-term agenda. Massie, considered a fringe figure in the GOP, believes Johnson is “not that good” at helping push Trump’s priorities through the House, he told the Wall Street Journal, citing last month’s government spending fight in which 38 Republicans voted against the Trump-endorsed legislation Johnson put forward.
Mike Johnson Wins House Speaker Election—Ending Historic Three-Week GOP Impasse (Forbes)
Thomas Massie Needs Backup to Remove Mike Johnson (Wall Street Journal)
Johnson allies warn that a speakership battle could delay Trump’s victory certification (CNN)