As we reported earlier on Friday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was reelected Speaker of the House on the first ballot, despite the drama that it might be more drawn out. 

The big question had been how some of the folks who were not sold on Johnson might vote. As RedState's Jennifer Van Laar wrote:

The vote was not without drama. Initially, Johnson received 216 votes to 215 votes for Jeffries; three representatives (Massie, Norman, and Self) voted for others. After about 30 minutes, Johnson, Norman, and Self exited the chamber, presumably to talk about how to move their votes to Johnson's column.

Ultimately, Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-TX) flipped to vote for Johnson after talking with Johnson and with President-elect Donald Trump. They and other folks who had reservations "secured general commitments from Johnson and other Republicans about the GOP conference working more collaboratively."

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) remained a "no" on Johnson. 

READ MORE: BREAKING: We Have a Speaker, on the First Vote

NEW: We Now Know Why Reps. Norman and Self Changed Their Votes in Speaker Election

The House Freedom Caucus issued a letter explaining why they ultimately went along with the vote, despite having reservations about Johnson. The 11 members who signed the letter included Reps. Andy Biggs, Chip Roy, Andy Harris, Michael Cloud, Scott Perry, Ralph Norman, Clay Higgins, Eli Crane, Andy Ogles, Eric Burlison, and Andrew Clyde. Ultimately, they wrote, it came down to standing with Trump. 

Today, the Board of the House Freedom Caucus released the attached letter to their Republican colleagues regarding today's vote for Speaker. pic.twitter.com/lV1ZLnT0aC

— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) January 3, 2025

“Today we voted for Mike Johnson as speaker of the House because of our steadfast support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,” the group wrote. 

“We did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months.” 

They demanded that the House work quickly on Trump's agenda, including to "deliver on critical border security, spending cuts, pro-growth tax policy, regulatory reform, and the reversal of the damage done by the Biden-Harris administration."

“Now, Speaker Johnson must prove he will not fail to enact President Trump’s bold agenda,” the lawmakers warned. "Personalities can be debated later, but right now there is zero room for error on the policies the American people demanded when they voted for President Trump -- the ones necessary to save the country. We demand the House of Representatives deliver -- quickly." 

So they all came together, ultimately, to help get the Trump agenda. Now, hopefully, that means they're all going to be on the same page to do what the American people voted for, legislation can get passed with alacrity, and they can make real reform. 

This is the moment; they have enough numbers if they can hold it together. We have the Senate and the White House too. It's time to make vast changes that have been needed for awhile--and to unspool all the damage that Joe Biden and the Democrats have done. It's about restoring America, and that's what they all should be there for.