Mike Johnson re-elected House speaker as GOP mutiny threat dissolves
FOX NewsJan 01
Mike Johnson Re-Elected House Speaker
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Above: House Republican leader Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) ducks out of the chamber as the House votes for a new Speaker on the first day of the 119th Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol Building on Jan. 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) secured re-election as House Speaker on Friday by a vote of 218-215, with one Republican voting against him, narrowly avoiding the prolonged battles faced by his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
With a 219-215 House majority, several Republicans, including Ralph Norman and Keith Self, initially withheld support but switched their votes after negotiations. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the only one to vote against him, other than the Democrats, all of whom voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
After voting for him, the House Freedom Caucus (the GOP's conservative wing) wrote a letter to Johnson calling on him to pass legislation on topics including immigration, border security, and health insurance, among others.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Mike Johnson has proven himself an effective leader since first assuming the role, so thankfully, the small number of GOP holdouts quickly came to their senses. With Republicans now ready to take the government back, Johnson will lead the charge in deregulating the economy, fixing the budget, and offering school choice, among many other things the American people want.
Conservative narrative
These Speaker votes are becoming very tiresome for everyone who, over the last year, has watched Mike Johnson betray his own principles and the will of the American people. He has done everything wrong, from passing bloated budget bills to allowing security agencies to continue spying on Americans. The country can expect more of the same in the next Congress.
Democratic narrative
While Johnson clearly conducted some backdoor quid pro quo negotiations with his far-right colleagues, the country can still breathe a sigh of relief. This is because, despite Republican talking points about pushing Trump's agenda through Congress, the GOP only has a slim majority in both the House and the Senate, many of whom don't support Trump's desired policies.
