Johnson retains gavel in dramatic Speaker vote

• All three Mississippi GOP Congressman backed the Louisiana Congressman for Speaker while Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat, supported his party leader.

He had the backing of President-elect Donald Trump but what Mike Johnson needed Friday was 218 votes to retain the gavel as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress.

After nearly two hours and a delayed call of the first-round vote, Johnson reached the necessary margin in the slim Republican majority chamber, flipping two of the three holdouts who initially voted for other members.

When the votes were voiced, Johnson, a Louisiana Congressman, had 216 of the 219 votes cast by the newly elected Republican members of the U.S. House.

Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie was known to not support Johnson’s re-election bid as Speaker but the other two – Congressmen Keith Self of Texas and Ralph Norman of South Carolina – were surprises to many onlookers.

Massie cast his Speaker vote for GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer while Norman voted for Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan and Self voted for Florida Congressman Byron Donalds.

After the last member had voiced their vote, Johnson huddled with Norman and Self off the House floor as the chamber sat in limbo, unable to conduct other business – including being sworn in – until a Speaker was elected. When the trio emerged, Norman and Self approached the well and asked the Acting Clerk to change their votes to Johnson.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York won all of his party’s votes, totaling 215.

The first-round vote being left open as Johnson negotiated with the holdouts in his party avoided multiple rounds of voting for Speaker, a scenario that has only occurred 15 times in U.S. history. Two years ago when the 118th Congress first met, it took the slim Republican majority 15 rounds of voting before eventually electing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

One seat remains vacant in the chamber after now former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz resigned in hopes of being Trump’s Attorney General nominee. Gaetz later withdrew his name from consideration and chose not to return to the House despite being re-elected in November.

Of note for Mississippi, all three of the Magnolia State’s Republican Congressmen – Trent Kelly (MS 1), Michael Guest (MS 3) and Mike Ezell (MS 4) – supported Johnson while the state’s lone Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson backed Jeffries.

The House now moves to adopt its rules package and plan for the counting of the Electoral College votes on Monday, January 6.