Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) greeted the new year Wednesday by reiterating his commitment to seeing that the agenda of President-elect Donald Trump makes it through the House of Representatives.
America has spoken. Congress MUST quickly deliver President Trump's agenda.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 1, 2025
The American people cannot afford to wait for relief when their lives and livelihoods are at stake.
Let’s get to work 🇺🇸https://t.co/6v9PDcxc86
Johnson was fresh off of receiving a vote of support from Trump, who posted on Truth Social of his desire to see Johnson return as Speaker in the upcoming 119th Congress:
The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!
An incoming president's support for a Speaker candidate would ordinarily be enough to push that candidate across the finish line, but the Republican Party's slim majority means a few disaffected GOPers could throw things into disarray, with one, in particular, seeming to hold the key to the vote.
Here's how Punchbowl News characterizes the race:
Trump’s argument for Johnson boils down to this: The Louisiana Republican is both a nice guy and the only one who can win the speaker’s gavel. It’s a similar argument former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s allies made in January 2023; the California Republican was the only one who could get 218 votes.
Some Republicans don’t find this argument persuasive, however. After 14 months of Johnson as speaker, they’re ready to give someone else a chance.
The two names you'll likely hear most are Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chip Roy (R-TX).
Massie has made it very clear that he has no intention of voting for Johnson, tweeting on X a few days ago that the Speaker doesn't have the ability to see Trump's agenda get through the House and that Johnson owes many of his legislative successes to interventions from Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Furthermore, Massie lost his wife last year and has reportedly said, “If they thought I had no Fs to give before, I definitely have no Fs to give now.” Also:
“I’m a single man now. I’ve lost my wife, and she was probably the nicest part of me,” he said. “What do I have to lose?”
Massie has said he'll vote for a specific person during Friday's Speaker vote, but who that is remains a mystery.
This is where the numbers come into play.
NEW: Donald Trump Calls for Mike Johnson to Remain Speaker With 'Complete and Total Endorsement'
If It Feels Like 2016 All Over Again, Rep. Chip Roy Says There's One Reason That's a Problem
Republicans have 219 seats in the 119th Congress, and the Democrat Party has 215. The number of votes needed to become Speaker: 218. Here's Mike Johnson's take: “It’s a numbers game. We have the smallest margin in U.S. history. We’ll have a margin of probably two votes tomorrow during that so, [I] can only afford to lose one or two.”
This leaves Chip Roy as the wild card and the one Republican who may hold the key to Johnson's fate. Roy has said he's not a "hard no" on Johnson, but reportedly holds Johnson responsible for not getting legislation favorable to Texas passed in the 118th Congress. Roy, a supporter of Ron DeSantis during the Republican presidential primary, has indicated he'd like to become chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, so there may be some backroom deal-making going on right now.
The Speaker vote is expected to take place shortly after 12:00 p.m. ET Friday and will be televised live on C-SPAN.
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