OAN Staff Sophia Flores
Friday, January 3, 2025
Update 11:39 AM: Representative Mike Johnson has secured enough votes on the first ballot to win the Speaker of the House election.
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Representative Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Representative Keith Self (R-Texas) switched their votes to Johnson (R-La.) before the House gaveled out of the first round.
Johnson secured 218 votes.
11:02 AM: The House of Representatives will go to a second vote after failing to come to a majority consensus on who to elect as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The start of the 119th Congress began on Friday morning. The first order of duty for the House of Representatives was to convene to vote on a measure to elect a new Speaker of the House.
With a 219-215 Republican majority, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could only afford to lose two votes. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has made it clear that he will not vote for Johnson to remain the speaker prior to the ballot.
Massie casted his vote for Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for House Speaker.
Representative Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) voted for Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Representative Keith Self (R-Texas) voted for Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
The Democrats nominated Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as their speaker nominee.
President-elect Donald Trump has been a vocal supporter for Johnson to keep his role as speaker.
Trump took to Truth Social on Friday morning to say that Johnson (R-La.) is very close to having 100% support of the GOP caucus. He added that a win for Johnson will be a big win for the GOP.
The speaker vote is required before the House of Representatives can conduct any official business. This includes certifying Trump’s 2024 election win.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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