House Republicans on Wednesday nominated Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to retain the gavel in the upcoming 119th Congress, according to three sources in the room, as the conference prepares to govern in the GOP trifecta next year.
Johnson — who was running unopposed for the gavel — won the Speakership nomination on a voice vote. No other lawmakers threw their hats in the ring or were nominated for the post. The voice vote is a blow to conservatives who had been planning to push for a recorded vote as a form of protest on various measures.
The Louisiana Republican will take his nomination to the House floor on Jan. 3, when he will need to get support from a majority of the chamber to retain his leadership post — a much higher bar in the GOP’s razor-thin majority.
Johnson has sought to keep his grasp on the gavel after winning the top job in a whirlwind process last year following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Shortly before Wednesday’s vote, he secured support from President-elect Trump, a boon for his candidacy and path to the gavel going forward. During a meeting with House Republicans Wednesday morning, Trump called Johnson a “good guy” and said “I’m with him all the way,” a source in the room told The Hill.
But Johnson, nonetheless, faces a tough road ahead in January, when he will need near-unanimous support from the conference on the House floor.
Johnson, for his part, has been optimistic about his ability to keep hold of the gavel next year. On Tuesday, the Louisiana Republican said he was confident he would win the Speakership on the first ballot in January.
“I am [confident]. I’m talking with everyone,” he said. “I think you’ll have total unity in the party.”
To achieve that reality, however, he has work to do.
Hardline conservatives — including many in the conservative House Freedom Caucus — have for weeks criticized Johnson’s past decisions regarding sending aid to Ukraine and funding the government, fueling opposition to his aspirations to remain in leadership.
Those feelings kicked into high gear this week, when those on the right-flank raised concerns about a series of proposed changes to House GOP rules that take direct aim at the rebellious tactics hardliners used to protest leadership over the past two years. The rabble-rousers do not want those changes to be implemented.
Initially, conservatives had planned to nominate an alternate candidate for Speaker, challenging Johnson for the gavel to showcase the resistance he faces within the conference. On Tuesday night, the group changed course, opting to instead force a recorded vote on Johnson’s nomination to showcase the number of members opposed to his bid. In the end, neither occurred.
While Johnson is poised to face some opposition in the lead-up to January, some of his biggest critics are softening as they aim to show GOP unity with Trump heading back to the White House — a bright spot for his prospects of securing the gavel on the House floor on Jan. 3.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is not ruling out voting for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to stay in the position, despite previously making an unsuccessful move to oust him.
“I think whoever’s in charge here in the House, their job is to pass President Trump’s agenda,” Greene said.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), who has publicly gone against Johnson, said that he is planning to support Johnson, but would not say specifically whether he would vote for him on Jan. 3. Trump’s support for Johnson is a factor in the change, Crane said.
“Ultimately, I want the President to take the field with the team that he wants on the field,” Crane said.
