Mike Johnson was re-elected Speaker of the House after the threat of a GOP insurgency disappeared
Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., he was re-elected on Friday to lead the House of Representatives.
The Louisiana Republican won on party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his 2023 predecessor’s protracted 15-round battle.
It comes despite gun-rattling by some conservatives who have threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest over his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress.
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Speaker Mike Johnson was re-elected as the leader of the House of Representatives. (Getty/AP)
Tail. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was part of the failed effort to oust Johnson last year, was the speaker’s most vocal critic ahead of Friday’s vote.
He told the ex Tail. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.on his new One America News Network program, “You can pull all my nails out, you can stick bamboo in them, you can start cutting my fingers.”
“I’m not going to vote for Mike Johnson tomorrow and you can take that to the bank,” Massie said.
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Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Other detractors included members of the Freedom Caucus such as Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who expressed interest in chairing the influential House Rules Committee, the panel that determines the conditions for voting on legislation in the entire House.
Johnson’s allies, in turn, warned that a protracted House speaker battle could delay a joint session of Congress to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, scheduled for January 6.
President-elect Donald Trump again endorsed Johnson for speaker. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Johnson also had a key supporter in Trump, who stressed his support for the GOP frontrunner in the hours before the noon vote.
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“Congratulations today to Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to 100% approval. A victory for Mike today will be a great victory for the Republican Party and another recognition of our most consequential presidential election in 129 years!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social app.
Johnson wrote on X in response: “Thank you President Trump! Today is a new day in America. Republicans in Congress must remain united to quickly fulfill President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s do it.”
His victory marks the start of his first full term as speaker. Johnson received the gavel in October 2023 after three weeks of closed-door talks following the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
