Johnson did it on the first ballot
A Trump lifeline flipped two defectors and secured another term as speaker for the Louisiana Republican. Now he has to turn the president-elect’s agenda into policy with an ever-shrinking majority.
First Things First
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome back to Once Upon a Hill and the 119th Congress. House Republicans reelected Mike Johnson (R-La.) as speaker on the first ballot in a stunning turnaround that will keep the top gavel in his hands as the GOP shifts its focus to the hard work of unifying around workable policies that will fulfill President-elect Donald Trump’s aggressive campaign promises on immigration, energy and taxes.
It appeared Johnson was poised to lose the initial ballot but House GOP leadership kept it open so Johnson could whip Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas), two defectors who had joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in opposition to the speaker’s reelection. The effort was obviously a success.
In this special edition, the details on how it all went down, including the drama before Johnson finally emerged victorious, the commitments Johnson made before the votes to shore up his support and why one of the most outspoken House Democrats was unsurprised he ultimately prevailed.
The Afternoon Report
After a quorum was determined to be present, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) nominated Johnson in a speech that promised the conference was up to the task of governing in the new Congress and that the current speaker was best equipped to lead them forward. Pete Aguilar, the House Democratic Caucus Chair from California, nominated Jeffries next in remarks that described the caucus as “the governing majority of the House of Representatives” and Jeffries as a good-faith power broker in negotiating the biggest-ticket items in the last Congress.
Aguilar also issued a warning to House Republicans: “Congress won’t be able to keep the lights on, let alone pass anything of substance, without the buy-in and blessing of House Democrats and Hakeem Jeffries.”
The Democratic side of the chamber erupted in chants of “Hakeem! Hakeem! Hakeem!” once Aguilar finished his nominating speech.
First, there were three; then there was one
Once the roll call commenced, members voted without incident. Massie voted for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), which wasn’t much of a surprise since the Kentucky Republican was on record as recently as last night promising to vote against Johnson no matter what. But then Norman voted for House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), which guaranteed Johnson wouldn’t be the speaker on the first go-around since Johnson could only afford to lose one vote due to full Democratic attendance. Self would later vote for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) in what appeared to be the nail in the coffin. (House Democrats unanimously voted for Jeffries as they did on each of the 15 ballots it took to elect former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023.)
Complicating matters for the speaker were a half dozen House conservatives—Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas,), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.)—who did not respond when their names were called to vote, providing additional warning signs that Johnson would need at least another ballot to win.
But once their names were called again at the end of the vote, they each announced their support for Johnson.
“Sheep acting as wolves,” one House Democrat told me after the six holdouts voted for Johnson. “Everyone is red-faced, huffing and puffing, only to end up whispering, ‘Johnson.’”
Johnson and his allies then persisted for almost an hour to flip Norman and Self to secure his reelection. The final tally was 218-215-1. And for what it’s worth, Aguilar told me he was prepared to nominate Jeffries for as many ballots as it took: “I have more than enough speeches,” he said with a wry smile.
Members on both sides seemed unsurprised by the final result
By the time members filed into the House chamber at noon for the vote, it seemed Johnson was on a glide path to reelection, which was no surprise to the handful of Democratic members I caught up with ahead of the vote.
“I won’t be surprised,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told me as she walked onto the House floor. “They went to the bottom of the barrel to find him the last time. There’s nobody else. Nobody wants this job—it’s a terrible job if you’re on that side, for sure. So no, he will be the speaker. It’s just a matter of how much they’re going to make him grovel and beg the same way they did McCarthy.”
Johnson told reporters that he believed he thought he could win on the first ballot, as did Emmer, the number-three House Republican. Several rank-and-file Republicans expressed a similar sentiment, although several seemed frustrated that the GOP holdouts’s saber-rattling was delaying the inevitable.
Johnson had several factors working in his favor, as I reported in last night’s newsletter, including the fact that no serious alternative emerged to challenge him since any contender would have as many or more holdouts as the incumbent.
Trump’s endorsement carried serious sway as well. Several House conservatives who opposed Johnson’s speakership said they were voting for the president-elect’s agenda, not the speaker’s leadership. Trump worked the phones during the window between the end of the vote and Norman and Self’s flip to make the case for his preferred candidate. He even posted a good-luck message in his Truth Social app this morning where he called a win for Johnson a win for the Republican Party.
The calendar also couldn’t be ignored. Monday is January 6th when the House and Senate will meet for a joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes and certify the election.
Then there’s the death of former President Jimmy Carter, who will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from next Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning. It would have been a terrible look for the House’s internal drama to have overshadowed the nation’s opportunity to pay final tribute to the 39th president before he is laid to rest..
Two weeks after the certification is the inauguration.
Johnson’s commitments
Before the vote, Mike Johnson laid out three main priorities he would pursue as speaker.
First, he promised to set up a team of independent experts to work with a new Department of Government Efficiency—a federal agency Donald Trump has proposed for a second term—to find ways to cut wasteful spending and make the government work better for taxpayers.
Second, he vowed to have this team review audits of federal agencies and congressional programs and then release a public report explaining what they found.
Finally, Johnson committed to pushing House committees to dig deeper into how federal money is being spent, provide more resources if needed, and expose any wrongdoing or misuse of government power.
But despite Johnson’s win, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said the uncertainty surrounding the speaker election and the nagging discontent from House conservatives are an indication that this Congress could be similar to the last.
“This is probably foreshadowing of where we can expect things to go,” he said. “If they can’t pick a speaker without chaos, I don’t know how they’re going to fund the government, secure the border, bring down crime, raise wages. This is the easiest thing that they’re supposed to do and they’ve made it really hard once again.”
Although it was a nail-biter, Johnson still has his gavel after Jeffries presented it to him declaring him the 56th House speaker. Johnson led the House in a moment of silence for the attack in New Orleans before Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), the dean of the House, administered the oath of office to him. Johnson then did the same to members and delegates.
The Senate was also sworn in with much less fanfare, giving Republicans control of both chambers of Congress for the first time since President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration (Senators actually finished their business while the House reading clerk was still calling the roll across the Capitol.) After Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the federal government will be under total GOP control for at least the next two years.
In the Know
A few news and notes from inside the Capitol:
After the roll call, Stacey Plaskett, the delegate from the Virgin Islands, raised a point of order to ask why she and the delegates from the District of Columbia, America Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, plus the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, were unable to vote in the speaker’s election despite them representing four million Americans. Of course, only members are eligible to vote, which was the point Plaskett was making in her passionate remarks before she was deemed out of order and her mic was turned off. “This body and this nation has a territories and a colonies problem,” she said. “What was supposed to be temporary has now effectively become permanent.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a standing ovation when she cast her vote for Jeffries. The former top House Democrat and her predecessor shared a sweet embrace after, but the most remarkable detail from the scene is that Pelosi did so in flats, instead of her signature sky-high stilettos, which she’s had to temporarily park in the closet as she recovers from hip-replacement surgery after fall during a congressional delegation in Germany last month.
The best aspect of swearing-in day is meeting the loved ones of members. It’s a reminder that the people I’m covering are human and more than their titles. And it’s lovely to see the Capitol through the lens of folks who don’t spend as many hours here each week as I do. One member’s mom told me she loves the newsletter. (!!!) Another standout moment: I met Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.)’s daughter who was so kind and had press-on nails so snazzy they were the first thing I noticed. I would have snapped a picture, but Miss Thing was snacking on some light bites. I didn’t want to ask her to stop simply to indulge this former fashion editor.
Do you have questions about the new Congress or the incoming Trump presidency? Drop me a line at michael@onceuponahill.com or send me a message below to get in touch and I’ll report back with answers.
Today in Congress
The House met to elect the speaker, get sworn in and adopt several procedural resolutions. Members are now debating the rules package for the 119th Congress. The House will vote to adopt the rules package at approximately 5:15 p.m.
The Senate met to get sworn in before agreeing to several procedural resolutions, including measures to elect Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as president pro tempore and authorize the electoral vote count on Jan. 6th and the use of the Capitol Rotunda for the remains of former President Carter to lie in state next week.