BREAKING: Winner Of Speakership Race Officially Declared

House Republicans gathered behind closed doors on Wednesday, emerging with a unified decision.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), was chosen by his Republican colleagues on Wednesday to lead their conference for another two years. Johnson, who ascended to the speakership in October 2023 following Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, ran unopposed in a closed-door vote. Two sources present during the meeting informed Fox News that the vote was unanimous, despite threats from conservatives to withhold their full support for Johnson.

The internal election faced a delay of about an hour and a half while Johnson convened with his GOP detractors to “hash it out,” according to two other sources. Earlier in the day, President-elect Trump met with House Republicans, declaring his “100%” support for Johnson, multiple sources in the room reported.

On Wednesday, Johnson encountered no substantial opposition, and with House Republicans poised to retain their majority in the 119th Congress, none was anticipated. However, the situation may change in January when he must secure a majority of the full House to be elected as speaker.

During discussions with Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Trump urged them and Johnson to “stick together” in the upcoming congressional term, according to Fox News. Additionally, Trump pledged to “carry out the largest deportation operation in history,” a promise that was met with cheers from House Republicans, the sources noted.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a press briefing at Columbia University in New York on April 24, 2024.

Johnson has been serving as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives since October 25, 2023. His tenure has been marked by efforts to advance key legislative priorities, including securing the southern border and implementing significant tax cuts.

Trump expressed his full support for Johnson during a private meeting at the Hyatt Regency hotel close to the Capitol, telling Republican sources he is “with him all the way” and using words like “tremendous” and “terrific” to describe him, according to NBC News.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) shared his unwavering loyalty after the meeting, saying, “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.”

In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are 435 voting members. A majority requires at least 218 seats, assuming no seats are vacant. This number is critical during votes, as it represents the minimum needed to pass most legislation.

Having the majority means that the party can pass legislation without needing support from the opposition, control the flow of debate, and generally influence the national political landscape more significantly. The party with the majority also has the power to elect the Speaker of the House, who wields considerable influence over which bills come to the floor and the overall legislative priorities of the House.

As the January vote approaches, Johnson will need to balance appeasing hardliners within his party with maintaining enough support to secure the 218 votes required to remain speaker.

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