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Rep. Mike Johnson secured enough votes to win another term as Speaker of the House as the 119th Congress convened on Friday (January 3). It was a rocky path as Johnson did not have enough votes after the first round of votes was tallied. He was losing the vote 216-215, with 3 Republicans voting against him. All of the Democrats voted for Hakeem Jeffries, while Republican Rep. Ralph Norman voted for Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican Rep. Tom Massie cast his vote for Rep. Tom Emmer, and Republican Rep. Keith Self voted for Rep. Byron Donalds.
However, the vote was not gaveled closed, allowing Johnson to meet with Republicans to discuss a path forward. After meeting with Johnson, two of the holdouts, Reps. Norman and Emmer switched their vote to Johnson, giving him the 218 votes necessary to keep the Speaker's gavel.
According to CNN, President-elect Donald Trump also spoke to Norman and Emmer before they decided to switch their votes.
After the vote was official, Trump congratulated Johnson in a post on Truth Social.
"Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress. Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!"