- Trump-backed Mike Johnson has been re-elected as US House Speaker in the first round of voting after overcoming a Republican revolt
- With a razor-thin Republican majority, he could only afford to lose one of his party members
- Three Republicans had originally voted against him, but changed their votes to support Johnson at the last minute
- The final tally stands at Johnson with 218 votes, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries with 215 votes and one vote for another member. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress after two GOP holdouts decided to change their votes before the second round of voting was set to begin.
- Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-Texas) changed their votes after having initially voted for other candidates, leaving the Louisiana rep two votes short of clinching the speakership.
Republican Mike Johnson has won the House speakership on the first ballot, after swaying two members of his conference who initially voted against him.
When the gavel came down after a lengthy vote, Johnson had won 218 votes while Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, had won all 215 votes of his caucus. One member, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted for fellow House Republican Tom Emmer instead of Johnson.
Two House Republicans who initially cast ballots for other candidates, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, changed their votes to Johnson after conferring with the speaker off the floor while the vote remained open.
With a speaker elected, House members can now be formally sworn in, allowing the chamber to proceed with usual business.
