SALT LAKE CITY — Republicans reelected House Speaker Mike Johnson Friday, as representatives and members-elect of the 119th Congress approved him on a narrow 218-215 vote.
Republicans backed Johnson on the first vote after he engaged in some last-minute lobbying and a couple of lawmakers flipped their votes.
Johnson originally looked like he would lose the vote 216-215, with three members voting for candidates other than Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic nominee for speaker.
At first, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted for Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., cast his ballot for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, supported Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. But Norman and Self changed their votes, bringing the final tally to 218-215.
Reports indicate it was Trump who called and changed the two lawmakers’ minds.
Several members of Congress were holding children or grandchildren as they voted. Families often join lawmakers on the first day of the session.
“We have to get this job done and unify the Congress,” Johnson, who has held the job since October 2023, told reporters ahead of the vote. “I’m here for the long haul.”
Utah representatives support Johnson
All four Utah representatives supported Johnson, as the Deseret News previously reported, including Utah’s newest congressmen, Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, the vice chair of the House Republican Conference, said forcing Johnson out “would be nothing short of dishonest.”
“Being Speaker of the House against an opposing senate majority leader and White House is the most difficult job in American politics, and Johnson has done a superb job handling every angle,” Moore said.
What are Speaker Johnson’s promises?
Johnson is the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives. He addressed the lower chamber following the vote after Jeffries handed Johnson the gavel as a symbol of a peaceful transfer of power. The two representatives shook hands.
Johnson called for a moment of silence for the recent tragedy that occurred in his home state of Louisiana, where a pickup truck drove into a crowd, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.
“Of course, these are difficult days in our home state of Louisiana, where I come from,” Johnson said in the House. “We all know about the terrorist attack in New Orleans and it’s really shaken our state. People are reeling from that attack.”
He was joined by his wife, Kelly, and their four children. Johnson said he’s observing a “really remarkable political moment in our modern history” as voters across the country showed they are interested in putting America first. “And we will,” he said.
“This Congress will renounce the status quo, and we will listen to the voices of the people. We will act quickly, and we will start by defending our nation’s borders,” the speaker said. “That’s the No. 1 goal.”
After reading Thomas Jefferson’s Prayer for the Nation, Johnson said, “We will not fail. We cannot fail. We are all in this together. Our nation is counting on us to band together and solve these problems and get this done,” as CNN reported.
“I’ve said before that I believe God has elevated each one of you, that is my belief, to your positions of leadership and it’s an act of providence that you’ve all been placed in your specific roles in this specific moment at this historic time.”
Trump congratulated Johnson on Truth Social. “The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership,” Trump wrote. “They’ll get it now and America will be greater than ever before.”
In a post in X ahead of the vote, Johnson made three commitments as speaker. He promised to create a working group of independent experts to work with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and House committees to implement recommendations on reducing government spending. The working group will also audit existing federal agencies and issue a report that will be released by the speaker’s office, he added. Lastly, Johnson said he would request House committees to tackle the misuse of taxpayer funds.
“Along with advancing President Trump’s America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory,” Johnson said.
Johnson overcame tough challenge
In recent weeks, many in Congress voiced their concerns about whether Johnson was the right person to be speaker, especially during an opportunistic time when the Senate, the House and the White House are under GOP control. They questioned his ability to further Republican priorities without giving in to too many demands from Democrats.
President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of Johnson calmed some doubts, while his phone calls to certain members helped solidify unified support behind Johnson. But a question still loomed: Would Trump’s backing be enough for Johnson to win the speakership in the first round?
In a post on Truth Social Friday, Trump said, “Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support.”
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!!” he added.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the 119th Congress ahead of the vote, lowering the GOP majority to 219-215. Johnson needed at least 218 votes to retain his gavel, so he could only lose one Republican vote without any Democratic support.
Massie didn’t budge from his criticism of Johnson and was the lone Republican vote against the speaker.
“You can pull all my fingernails out; you can shove bamboo up in them; you can start cutting off my fingers,” Massie told Gaetz, who is now a host for One America News, in an interview Thursday, as The Guardian reported. “I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
