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In a dramatic turn of events, lawmakers have elected Mike Johnson as House speaker on the first ballot.
Key GOP detractors flipped their votes to back Johnson at the last minute, after the Louisiana Republican was initially on track to lose. He ultimately won with 218 votes.
While Johnson will keep the gavel, he’ll face a big challenge in Congress with the narrowest House majority in nearly 100 years.
How it unfolded: After the initial roll call vote, Johnson had come up short, with three GOP defections — more than he could afford to lose. Rep. Thomas Massie had voted for Rep. Tom Emmer; Rep. Ralph Norman had voted for Rep. Jim Jordan; and Rep. Keith Self had voted for Rep. Byron Donalds.
With all members voting, Johnson could only afford a single GOP defection.
But after everyone had voted, the vote was held open for an extended period of time — meaning that it was not gaveled to an official close — and Johnson worked to lock down the votes. Then, Self and Norman flipped their votes in support of Johnson.
This post has been updated with additional details on how the vote unfolded.
The White House declined to weigh in on the unfolding fight for the House speaker’s gavel on Capitol Hill. Instead, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during Friday’s press briefing it was focused on the president’s domestic agenda for the remainder of his term in office.
“Look, we’ve always been very clear from here, from this administration, that we do not inject ourselves into any leadership election that is happening in Congress,” she said, adding that it “doesn’t matter if it’s a Democrat or Republican, we stay out of it.”
“The president is going to continue to focus on the job that he has ahead, 17 days of a jam-packed schedule, focusing on the American people. We’re going to let Congress do their business,” Jean-Pierre said.
But in 2023, as the House GOP slugged it out over who would serve as speaker, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates lambasted Republicans for “falling over one another to find out who can be the most erratic and out of step with the priorities of working families.” In a statement to reporters at the time, he urged lawmakers “to get their act together and join this president at the adults table.”
While Mike Johnson is on track to lose, the first round of voting in the speaker’s election has not yet been gaveled to an official close.
As a result, members continue to mill around on the floor talking and having side conversations.
This is one way for House GOP leadership to buy more time to try to talk to holdouts and win them over since they can’t initiate a brief recess like they would typically be able to.
That’s because the new House has not yet adopted formal rules to govern itself. The only option to take a formal break would be to have the entire chamber vote to adjourn, a more complicated option than just holding this vote open longer.
Rep. Stephanie Bice, an ally of Johnson, said that Reps. Ralph Norman and Keith Self are meeting with Johnson now. They both voted for another lawmaker besides Johnson during the vote.
She also said that they are holding the vote open in hopes that they can change Norman and Self’s votes, and still technically have Johnson elected “on the first ballot.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi slowly walked onto the floor of the US Capitol on Friday, weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken hip, as dozens of lawmakers cheered and offered her a standing ovation.
Democrats cheered for her again when she stood up to cast a vote for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the House’s tight-margin speaker’s race. Wearing a pair of flats instead of heels, she was seen holding herself up on a table to stand and speak with members before the first vote began.
Pelosi, 84, underwent a “successful” hip replacement surgery after being admitted to a hospital in Luxembourg following a fall on the stairs, CNN previously reported. The US military medevacked the former House speaker from Luxembourg to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to a defense official.
With House members instructed to return immediately for a second speaker vote, two of Speaker Mike Johnson’s key allies, Rep. Dusty Johnson and Bryan Steil, have been having an animated conversation with some of the Freedom Caucus members who have sought concessions from Johnson.
Rep. Andy Harris, the group’s leader, spoke with Dusty Johnson for several minutes as the others looked on, with Harris repeatedly shaking his head.
Meanwhile, several Republicans, including Reps. Steve Womack, Greg Murphy, Brian Fitzpatrick and Robert Aderholt ,approached Johnson on the floor after the first vote appeared to fail to offer handshakes and pats on the back.
They appeared to be offering him words of encouragement, while some seemed frustrated, shaking their head at the result.
While the first House speaker vote has not yet been called, Speaker Mike Johnson is on track to lose with the current breakdown, and the House is poised to go immediately into a second vote without a break.
The House Democratic whip has sent a notice to members to return to the floor immediately to be ready for a second roll call vote.
Multiple holdouts ultimately voted for House Speaker Mike Johnson in dramatic fashion, after initially skipping their turn in what appeared to be a short-lived protest of the speaker.
Seven Republicans did not vote during the initial roll call: Reps. Andy Biggs, Andrew Clyde, Michael Cloud, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris and Chip Roy. Rep. Michael Waltz appeared to accidentally miss his turn.
At the end of the roll call, all seven were given a final chance to vote and all seven voted for Johnson.
One of the holdouts, Clyde, walked down the aisle to speak his vote directly to the clerk, carrying what appeared to be a Bible. One of Johnson’s whips in his speaker race, Rep. Dusty Johnson, was seen in an animated back-and-forth conversation with Roy in the back of the chamber. Rep. Dusty Johnson was also talking to Rep. Keith Self — who opposed Johnson on the floor — and Clyde.
Johnson left the House chamber as it appeared likely he did not secure enough votes to keep his gavel on the first ballot.
In the back of the chamber, many of the defectors continued to stand together quietly.
The state of play: At this point, Johnson needs to flip Reps. Thomas Massie, Ralph Norman or Self — all who did not vote for Johnson. Further complicating matters, Norman and Self had not previously communicated their positions to the speaker, according to multiple GOP sources.
Speaker Mike Johnson appears to be on track to lose the first round of voting for House speaker after losing support from at least three GOP members.
Rep. Keith Self — also standing in the center of the aisle — voted for fellow Freedom Caucus member Byron Donalds. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Ralph Norman of North Carolina also did not back Johnson, voting for Reps. Tom Emmer and Jim Jordan, respectively.
Beyond the three GOP votes for other candidates, multiple Republicans initially abstained. Self has been standing near the other defections, though he has mostly been quiet and kept to himself.
Another prior holdout, Rep. Victoria Spartz, voted for Johnson.
Donalds told CNN ahead of the vote that lawmakers had approached him about whether he would be interested in running for speaker, but said he wasn’t entertaining the idea.
Remember: Johnson could only afford a single GOP defection if every lawmaker shows up and votes.
This post has been updated with additional details on the state of the vote.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina voted for Rep. Jim Jordan in the race for speaker of the House — making two GOP members who have voted against Mike Johnson.
Rep. Thomas Massie also voted for someone else, throwing his support behind Rep. Tom Emmer.
At least six Republican members so far have skipped their turn to vote, putting the chamber into suspense about whether Mike Johnson can secure the votes for speaker on the first ballot.
Those members — GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Andrew Clyde, Michael Cloud, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris and Chip Roy — all were silent when their names were called, though they will have another chance to vote at the end of the roll call.
Keep in mind: As the vote was set to begin, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett vaguely predicted on X that the speaker contest would “go multiple rounds” but did not say how he planned to vote. Burchett had declined to tell reporters his position ahead of the vote, saying he was truly undecided and would “pray” on the decision.
Scenes from the chamber: Biggs was standing next to Clyde and Harris — two other Freedom Caucus members who have not publicly committed to Johnson — as the clerk read his name. Biggs continued to stand, not moving or speaking, as his name was called.
The next GOP member to be called, Rep. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina, voted for Johnson, who she declared to be “Trump’s endorsed candidate” — as other members in the chamber applauded.
It is not clear if Gosar intentionally skipped his turn. He had been standing in the back of the chamber near fellow Freedom Caucus members Biggs and Harris.
Harris intentionally chose not to vote. Two feet away from where Biggs and Burchett chatting, Harris stood silent in his spot at the back of the chamber as the clerk read his name several times.
Burchett — who helped oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy — stood in the aisle, speaking to his close friend GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, as the roll call began. He then voted for Johnson.
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert also voted for Mike Johnson: “Don’t let us down Mr. Speaker,” she said as she cast her vote.
Another previously undecided member, GOP Rep. Eric Burlison, also voted for Johnson on first ballot.
CNN’s Manu Raju said “this is very much a strategic decision not to vote” from the members.
“They are there and decided not to vote. So the question is, Dana, they’ll have a chance to vote at the end of this process. Will they vote yes or will they continue to hold out?” Raju told CNN’s Dana Bash.
Track the House speaker vote here.
This post has been updated with additional GOP members who skipped their turn.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky did not vote for Mike Johnson for the House speakership, upholding his vow not to back Johnson.
Johnson faces tough vote math with the narrowest House majority in nearly 100 years, leaving little room for error.
Massie instead voted for GOP Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the House majority whip who expressed confidence earlier Friday that Johnson will hold on to the gavel.
As majority whip, Emmer has experience with keeping the GOP’s narrow majority in line. In January 2023, Emmer helped hammer out the negotiations between the 20 hardliners and the speaker’s office that eventually won former Speaker Kevin McCarthy the gavel after 15 ballots, according to former Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry.
Following McCarthy’s historic ouster, Emmer sought the speakership himself, eventually withdrawing his bid, which paved the way for Johnson to clinch the post.
The House is voting now to elect its speaker, as Rep. Mike Johnson is vying to retain the gavel.
He faces tough vote math with the narrowest House majority in nearly 100 years, leaving little room for error.
Johnson, who was backed by President-elect Donald Trump, can only afford a single GOP defection if every lawmaker shows up and votes, and one House Republican — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky — has already said he won’t vote for him.
How many votes are needed for Johnson to win: To be elected speaker, a candidate must win a majority of votes out of all votes cast. If all 435 members of the House vote, then a majority is 218 votes.
There is expected to be one vacancy when the House convenes for the vote. Former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has said he won’t take the seat he was elected to in the new Congress.
That leaves 434 members with 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats. If all 434 vote, it takes 218 to win.
Track the House speaker vote here.
As GOP Rep. Lisa McClain formally nominated Speaker Mike Johnson, most of the Republican conference gave him a standing ovation.
But several House Republicans — Reps. Tim Burchett, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane — remained seated through the speech and the standing ovation, though they were still seen clapping, at times, for Johnson from their seats.
Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who is the Democratic caucus chair, is delivering a nominating speech for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
The nomination comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a critical vote soon in his attempts to retain the speakership.
“There is only one leader who understands the needs of the working people and has lived the American dream himself, and is committed to ensuring its promise for future generations,” Aguilar said. “There is only one leader who knows how to negotiate a bipartisan deal and then stick to that deal. House Democrats are united behind the most powerful legislative leader in this chamber, Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn.”
Aguilar vowed to work with the upcoming administration, while highlighting the importance of House Democrats in passing legislation.
“We will work with the incoming administration to make life better, safer and more affordable for working families,” Aguilar said.
GOP Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan nominated Rep. Mike Johnson for House speaker.
Johnson, the current speaker, is looking to keep the gavel. Johnson was endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, but he could be presented with a challenge given the narrow House GOP majority.
Republicans are set to take over control of the House and the Senate. McClain, who is the party’s conference chair, said this — with Johnson as speaker — gives lawmakers the opportunity to “put America first again.”
McClain defended Johnson, saying, “None of us will get exactly what we want.”
“Over 14 months ago, Mike Johnson took on a daunting task. No speaker is perfect and no one will ever be. However, achieving perfection requires incremental gains and hard decisions along the way,” she said, calling on Republicans to rally around Johnson.
McClain also defended Johnson’s principles and values, saying he “knows our brightest days are still ahead of us” and expressed confidence that Johnson will “lead us through another successful Republican majority.”
This post has been updated with additional remarks.
Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia was not present during the quorum call, but has arrived, according to a Democratic source.
He will be able to vote for House speaker.
Why this is key: This means that the expected majority threshold will be 218 and Johnson will only be able to lose one GOP vote against him if all other lawmakers vote.
Senators were sworn in alphabetically, in groups, by Vice President Kamala Harris, and then signed the oath book.
Some were escorted by former senators from their state, or by the outgoing senator who they were replacing. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio was escorted by Vice President-elect JD Vance.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice was not sworn in to the Senate today. He announced on December 26 that he will remain the governor of his state until next week, when Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey is sworn in.
In an apparent bid to win over detractors ahead of the speaker vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted to X that he will set up a working group for spending and government reform, among other commitments.
This appears to be in response to demands from GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz and other GOP holdouts. Johnson’s vow does not include any specific commitments on legislation on the floor or committee rosters. He has repeatedly said he would not make private deals to win votes.
Johnson’s public commitment comes as several undecided GOP members have been getting into line behind the speaker in the minutes before the vote.
And Spartz posted to X in response to Johnson’s post saying, “I appreciate @SpeakerJohnson’s public commitment to the American people to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and drain the swamp.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has called for the Senate to come to order, as the 119th Congress opens on Friday.
Former senators, current senators and soon-to-be senators flooded the chamber on Friday, including former Majority Leader Trent Lott, and former Sens. Rob Portman, Dean Heller, and Bob Corker.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer shook hands with incoming Senate Republican Leader John Thune just before Chaplain Barry Black led the Senate in prayer. Black is returning to the Senate for the first time since he suffered a brain bleed last month.
Ahead of the Senate being called to order, senators milled about and caught up with current and former colleagues. When now former-Sen. Tom Carper introduced Sen. Mitch McConnell to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, McConnell shook her hand warmly and told her, “I hope you learn to love the Senate.”
Thune also huddled with McConnell on the floor for a few minutes before the proceedings.
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett said he thinks voting for speaker of the House will go into multiple rounds.
“I think it doesn’t really matter what I, what I’m going to do. I think you’ll see members pass, and then we’ll go into another round,” he said.
Burchett would not disclose which members have told him how they are voting or how he would vote but did say some are still going vote no.
