House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the support of President-elect Donald Trump and other top Republicans ahead of the speaker vote.
On Wednesday, during a closed-door vote, Johnson was unanimously chosen as the GOP nominee for the January ballot. With no objections, Johnson will remain the top choice to lead the GOP conference, meaning no secret vote was needed.
However, according to two sources who discussed the event with Fox News Digital, the internal vote was delayed by more than an hour as Johnson met with his GOP colleagues to “hash it out.” Some Republicans were expected to oppose Johnson’s nomination; however, differences were set aside as the Speaker gained support from his constituents.
One day prior, Trump expressed his support for Johnson, saying he “100 percent” supports the Louisiana Republican. In January, Johnson, running unopposed for the gavel, will need to secure 218 votes on the House floor to be elected Speaker of the House.
However, he said he was confident he would have “total unity in the party.”
Last year, Johnson secured the position after a whirlwind process, during which party members ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). McCarthy also endured a grueling process, going through 15 rounds of House votes until he was forced to reach an agreement with a few Republicans holding their votes.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who previously attempted to oust Johnson over his support for additional Ukraine funding, did not shoot down the idea of voting for him.
“I think whoever’s in charge here in the House, their job is to pass President Trump’s agenda,” Greene said.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was also unanimously elected to remain in his position. By next year, he will have become the longest-serving member of House leadership and the only person to have served in leadership under the previous Trump Administration.
In addition, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) will remain in the new Congress.
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