Mike Johnson failed his first test to retain power over a super-slim Republican majority on Friday after three Republicans voted against Donald Trump's pick as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Even as Johnson and his allies continued their efforts to convince the rebels to change their vote and support him, a second vote was expected.
Rep. Thomas Massie declared on Thursday evening that he could not even be tortured to support Johnson. Instead, he voted for Representative Tom Emmer as chairman of the new 119th Congress.
Johnson lost a total of three Republicans. Rep. Ralph Norman voted to appoint House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan as speaker. And Rep. Keith Self voted for Rep. Byron Donalds.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, who appeared on Fox News during the vote, called the current Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted against Johnson “insanely destructive.”
But there was still hope for the embattled top leader. Several Republicans told the Daily Beast they believe Johnson will succeed in blocking aid in subsequent rounds of voting, while conservatives want to send a message to the Louisiana Republican: You're on notice.
Representative Lisa McClain, the new chair of the Republican Conference, has officially nominated Johnson to chair the new Congress, “No speaker is perfect, and no one ever will be, but achieving perfection requires gradual progress and difficult decisions. None of us will get exactly what we want.”
She praised Johnson as “an honest broker” who is “the same kind and caring person” he was before he was chosen in late 2023 to replace Kevin McCarthy following his ouster.
Honest, kind and caring or not, Johnson faced a similar fate to McCarthy on Friday, with hardline Conservative rebels angry at him for his government spending decisions. Governing such a small Republican Conference in the House of Representatives, which has been marred by infighting among warring factions, has proven to be a nearly impossible task for the past two speakers.
Trump threw his support behind Johnson in the hours leading up to the vote. Sources warned that Trump would likely target defectors if a protracted speaker's race delayed the certification of the presidential election and the incoming administration began pursuing legislative goals.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who huddled before the vote Friday morning indicated they were willing to support Johnson to avoid delaying President-elect Trump's agenda.
Lawmakers were in a celebratory mood in the House of Representatives on Friday, marking the first day of the 119th Congress. Many brought their children, posed for photos with Johnson and other leaders, hugged and snuggled with each other.
While conservatives pushed for some concessions from Johnson — with some calling for the nomination of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) as Rules chairman, which would effectively undermine Johnson's ability to control which bills come to the floor, chose the speaker against conspicuous ant “backroom deals” unlike his predecessor.
And allies of the leaders noted that critics of the chairman failed to put forward a viable alternative ahead of the vote, with the coup less energetic than what was seen during the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R- California)
It was expected that the House would continue with a number of voting rounds.
The start of the 118th Congress previously got off to a chaotic start, with fifteen rounds of voting required before McCarthy could hold the gavel.
The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and continue downloading Spotify, Apple podcasts, YouTubeor your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates with each new episode.
