Winner Of Speakership Race Officially Declared

House Republicans have re-elected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to another two-year term in a unanimous decision made during a private meeting.

Johnson, who became Speaker in October 2023 after Kevin McCarthy’s ousting, faced no significant opposition during the internal election, despite earlier tensions with some conservatives.

President Trump expressed his full support for Johnson, urging party unity as they prepare for the upcoming congressional term.

Johnson will need to secure a majority of the full House in January to continue as Speaker, requiring at least 218 votes.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) said, “If Donald Trump says, ‘Jump three feet high and scratch your head,’ we all jump three feet high and scratch our heads.” Nehls also said, “Everybody loves listening to him. He could have sat in there for another hour, two hours, three hours, and we’d all be listening attentively. He’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said, “You don’t fire people after you win the majority, and every one of those people in our leadership worked hard. Nobody worked harder than the speaker, so I think he had that room going in.” He added, “I think [Trump] made it very apparent how much he appreciated all Mike Johnson had done.”