Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) lost the first round of voting on Friday to keep his role as Speaker of the House. He could only afford to lose one Republican vote to win, but three Republicans voted against him, making it unlikely for him to secure the majority unless at least two of them change their votes.
Johnson had strong backing from President-elect Donald Trump, who actively worked to rally support. Trump personally called several undecided Republicans, urging them to vote for Johnson
. Despite this effort, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) stuck to his promise to vote against Johnson and was joined by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-TX), who supported other Republican candidates.
Fox News anchor Bret Baier shared earlier in the day that Trump’s team was “cautiously optimistic” about Johnson’s chances of winning on the first vote.
Baier mentioned that Trump made calls to sway undecided Republicans, which reportedly went well, but he did not contact Massie, who had already made his opposition clear. While Trump’s team remained hopeful, they admitted there was still some uncertainty. Trump was closely watching the situation and might step in again if needed.
House Republicans are trying to avoid a repeat of the chaos from January 2023, when it took 15 rounds of voting before Kevin McCarthy finally became Speaker. The stakes are high, and it remains to be seen whether Johnson can gather the support needed to avoid a prolonged voting process. This story is still unfolding.
